Debt
by OreoBoros
Summary: A trip to Hades leads to a confused Un-Prinny having his life saved by a young girl. Now indebted, he eventually finds himself added to the party of Hades' most powerful vampire.
1. Un-Prinnified

My head hurt.

Well, everything hurt, really. There really wasn't too much debate over the fact that I was currently in a rather excruciatingly large amount of pain. I felt warm, as if I was standing outside in the sun. I was also on the floor, presumably where I had passed out due to the aforementioned excruciating pain.

I decided to open my eyes. It was surprisingly dark, from what I could see, but there was an oddly sinister glow to the right of my vision. If I was outside, then it was more than certainly night, so why did I feel uncomfortably warm? I shifted my weight slightly, wincing as my muscles were painfully brought back to life.

I moved myself into a sitting position. The environment around me wasn't like anything I had ever seen before. Large, gothic architecture sprung up in patches across the ground, reminding me of what a crumbling ruin might resemble. What particularly caught my eye, however, was the imposing structure that stood no more than about a mile away. A castle, larger than anything I had ever seen before, blocked out a significant portion of the sky.

Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be less of a castle, and more of an oddly-shaped mountain. Horrific disfigured faces were carved into the sides of the rock, and a single, solitary household stood firm at the very peak of the hill. It was certainly hard to miss. You could probably see that thing from halfway across the world. The dangerous luminescence of the lava endlessly pouring out of the mountain was also pretty hard to miss.

I turned my head to the side. There was a similar flow of lava in a shallow chasm close to where I was sitting, which certainly explained the uncomfortable hotness of the place. I lifted up a hand from the ground, quietly noting how it was now coated with a sticky resin that one might closely compare to soot.

I had no idea where I was. More importantly, I had the distinct hunch that my location wasn't the most hospitable of places, to put it kindly. Lava flows and imposing mountains didn't exactly make me feel at home.

So where was I? Such a landmark couldn't exactly be missed. Lava certainly didn't appear until extremely deep into the Earth's surface, and even then, the living conditions were unnervingly inhospitable. The last I could remember, I was happily laying on my bed, quite content with the fact that I wasn't currently stranded in the middle of nowhere with barren wasteland and lava as far as the eye could see.

I turned my gaze skywards. Or, to be more precise, the lack-of-skywards. There wasn't any source of light coming from anything apart from the lava. Wherever I was appeared to be some sort of immense cave system. Why anyone would want to sculpt an evil lava mountain here of all places, I had no idea.

My vision was obscured slightly. Something solid blocked me from looking any further above me. I reached a hand up and brushed my hair. What I felt wasn't hair, but a smooth material of some sort. Moving my hand further, it became rather apparent that there appeared to be some sort of cap on my head. I felt for the sides of the hat and removed it from my head, bringing it to my face.

A strange little thing. The front of the hat was yellow, turning to blue afterwards. Two small black dots residing in larger white dots resided on either side, almost as if to resemble eyeballs. If it weren't for the blue, the hat could almost resemble a penguin. I shook my head confusingly and placed the hat back on. There wasn't any real point in getting rid of it.

What surprised me further was that, when I looked down, I also appeared to be wearing different clothes. Instead of the plain white shirt and brown cargo shorts I had donned this morning, I was now wearing a white and blue jacket with a white shirt underneath, complete with a pair of dark blue jeans. It was oddly reminiscent of the hat, minus the yellow. My shoes appear to have been kept the same.

Today kept getting weirder. The more I looked, the more questions seemed to arise. Where was I? Why am I here? Why am I wearing this absolutely ridiculous outfit? Far too many questions, most of them ludicrous.

Slowly, I lifted myself up from the ground, patting down my attire to de-soot it. By the time I had finished, a certain growling noise had made itself quite apparent behind me. I thought I had heard something walking around earlier, but simply attributed it to my imagination.

I swung around, nearly tumbling backwards as I recoiled from what I saw.

"W-Woah..." I muttered to myself.

A creature, several times larger than myself, stood a few metres away from me. A giant, hulking beast with a head nearly the same size as my own body. Two prominent horns sprouted from just above the creature's ears. Its mouth gave away to rugged yellow teeth and sharp canines, and it looked at me as one might a fine dessert.

I thought of running for a few seconds, but what was the point? Something that large could easily run faster than I ever could. Perhaps fighting would be the best alternative? No. I didn't have a weapon. Hell, even if I did, that thing would still reduce me to a bloody pulp.

In short, I was out of options, and it didn't look like the beast was going to give me much more time before it reduced me to a motionless pile of human mincemeat. The ground around me was relatively flat, and there wasn't anything I could hide behind, so cowering was also out of the question.

Standing there, frozen to the spot, the monster reared its head back and roared loudly. An awful echo of despair rang through my chest. The monster shot forward like a bullet. No more than a second passed before I was staring straight into the maw of the thing. I raised my hands in meek defence, and waited for death.

Just as I was about to perish, however, I heard a voice shouting from close by, barely hearing it over the heavy breathing of the creature.

"Hey! Get out of the way, you idiot!"

Without turning my head or questioning who in the world could have been shouting at me. I instinctively took a few steps back. The monster seemed distracted by the voice, and turned around to face the source of it.

I heard something shortly afterwards. A sickening crunch. The hard impact of wood against flesh. The monster was thrown back some distance, landing into the ground face-first. I watched in pure awe as something roughly twenty-times heavier than myself was thrown across the area in a single blow.

The monster quickly recovered, and eyed the mysterious assailant with pure malice. It charged again, faster, this time. I didn't have enough time to turn my head before I heard that awful crunching sound again. It was clearer this time. More pronounced. The monster flew even further than last time, even going so far as to crash into a nearby wall with a deafening thud.

It wasn't getting up from that one. The monster simply stayed on the ground, completely devoid of life. Something that nearly killed me had just been felled with two blows. I quickly turned my head around with widened eyes, staring my saviour straight into their eyes.

"That..." I muttered slowly. "That was pretty cool..."

I half-expected an even more dangerous creature to have killed the previous one. Either that, or someone with enough upper-arm strength to send a hulking mass of flesh spiralling into the wall twenty metres away.

What I saw certainly wasn't what I expected. A young girl, about the same age as me, stood in place of where I expected some sort of superhuman. She was small, and her hair was tied into two obscenely-sized ponytails. She slung a wooden bat over her shoulder, sighing heavily as she turned away from the defeated monster to look at me.

"Thanks." She replied. "Good thing I showed up when I did."

Again, questions were piling up more quickly than I was comfortable with. Who was this girl? Why did she save me? Or, more importantly, HOW did she save me? I quickly noticed the girl's clothing and quickly linked it to my own. She was wearing the same clothes as I was, right down to the hat, with my dark blue jeans being replaced with a skirt.

"Hey, you're wearing the same stuff as me." She noted. "Copycat."

"I-I'm sorry?" I said. "Were you... the person who did that?"

I motioned to the defeated monster that lay next to the partially-destroyed wall. The girl shot a quick glance at it before breaking into a large smile.

"Yup! That was me, alright!" She exclaimed happily. "Cool, huh?"

"...How?" I asked.

"Hm? Whaddya mean 'how'?" She responded. "With my bat, of course."

She said that nonchalantly, as if what she just did was physically possible.

"Right." I said, deciding not to question it. "Thanks for helping me, I guess."

"Not a problem!" She replied happily. "We Un-Prinnies have to stick together!"

"E-Excuse me?" I questioned. "U-Un-Prinnies?"

The girl looked at me as if I was insane. Then, almost as if a realisation had dawned on her, she wore an expression that said she understood everything.

"You haven't been here before, have you?" She asked.

"No..." I replied.

The girl sighed, her mood suddenly changing from happy to slightly depressive.

"Uh... well, you see..." She stammered. "It's kinda hard to explain, all right?"

"Um... how so?"

"Well..." She replied, breaking eye contact. "Let's just say that you aren't gonna be happy when you find out."

"I'm looking forward to it..." I muttered. "Could you at least tell me why I was just attacked by... a Minotaur?"

"Oh. That's easy." She replied. "Here, mythological stuff is all real. Zombies, Vampires, stuff like that."

"This is sounding less believable by the minute..."

"Your proof's right there." She said, motioning to the Minotaur.

Well, I certainly couldn't argue against logic like that.

"So, uh..." I muttered. "Where are we, exactly?"

"Hades." The girl replied.

"Sounds homely..."

"Pretty nice place once you get used to it."

"It's going to take a while for me to get used to being gored by Minotaurs..."

"Hey, you shouldn't have been wandering around. Especially not this far out."

"I woke up here."

"Really?" She asked. "Then you're pretty lucky. Pretty lucky you aren't a corpse, that is."

"Huh..."

'Hades', it seemed, wasn't a very nice place. What, with this talk of Minotaurs and Zombies and Vampires and lord knows what else.

"...Thanks. For helping me, I mean." I said. "It means a lot."

"Y-You..." She replied. "D-Don't treat me like I'm your friend or anything, okay? I just figured I'd help you, is all."

"Got it." I said. "I'm in your debt."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

I wake up in a mythological land of death, and a girl with a baseball bat sends a Minotaur flying through the air as if it was nothing, and proceeds to tell me that the only reason she thought it was appropriate to save me was because she felt like it. I could tell that I was going to have a grand time.

"So..." I said. "What happens now?"

"What happens now is I take you back to the Prinny training grounds, where you're supposed to be." The girl replied, menacingly pointing her bat at me. "Although you are an Un-Prinny, so I guess that'd be pretty cruel..."

"Excuse me?"

"You're coming with me!" She proclaimed. "I need you to meet someone."

"That seems a little brash, don't you think?" I asked. "I mean, I barely know who you are, for one thing."

"I'm the one who saved you from the Minotaur, stupid."

"No, no. I knew that already." I replied. "I meant who you actually are. Haven't you got a name or something?"

"Hmph! And why should I tell you my name?" She asked, folding her arms.

"It'd make addressing you a lot easier." I answered. "Right now, all I've got is 'Hot-headed tomboyish twin-tailed Minotaur killer'."

"H-Hot headed!?" She yelled. "Who're you to judge, huh!?"

We were getting nowhere fast.

"Can be continue this argument another time?" I asked. "My name's Scribe. I'd rather we kept the arguments to a minimum until we get somewhere where my life isn't being constantly threatened."

I said that, and extended a hand towards the strange girl.

"It's nice to meet you."

She simply stared at my hand for a few seconds, almost like she was afraid of catching something by touching me. Eventually, she heaved a heavy sigh and reluctantly placed her hand into mine.

"Fuka Kazamatsuri." She said. "Welcome to Hades."

* * *

Fuka led me through an unbridled series of twists and turns through the decadent wastelands of Hades. The large portion of the land that seemed to be completely uninhabited confirmed any suspicions I had that this place was dangerous, if the Minotaur attack and the flowing magma didn't confirm that already.

A relieving sense of security washed over me when I started to see other people that weren't intent on killing us. Creatures and demons of which could be adequately described as 'almost human' passed by us and paid no heed. I could have sworn that I felt a few glances on me and Fuka from time to time. Judging glances. As if we were exiles of some sort. Although I suppose the case would be the same if a monster suddenly entered a human settlement.

We walked further into what I suspected was what passed for a town in this place. Gothic spires and spiked gates aplenty, with enough eldritch folklore walking the streets to send a purveyor of mythology to the moon and back with ecstasy. I almost felt out of place in this depressing town with my fluorescent jacket and hat.

My train of thought was broken, however, when I heard a distinctly vivid voice break through the depressive atmosphere.

"Fuka!"

I turned my head anyway, despite not actually being addressed. Fuka spun around from in front of me to see who was calling her name.

It wasn't hard to distinguish who the voice was coming from. It certainly didn't sound as gruff as any of the creatures I had seen before. It also helped that the person who called Fuka's name couldn't be missed. The bleak atmosphere of the town seemed to disappear entirely when you saw her.

The girl looked human. She was about the same height as me and Fuka. She waved her hand in an energetic manner, almost as if she hadn't acknowledged the fact that we noticed her. Her white and pink clothing contrasted so starkly against the town that, by comparison, I almost felt blended in for a few seconds. What took me by surprise was the pair of stout wings that sprouted from her back, making me question if she really was human or not.

She smiled happily and strode over to Fuka.

"It's nice to see you back in one piece, Fuka." She said. "But you should really stop wandering off to the high-level demon areas by yourself."

Fuka harrumphed noisily.

"I can do what I want." She replied rebelliously. "I'm strong enough to take on any demon."

"As you wish." The odd girl said. "...But who is this?"

She said that while gesturing to me. Fuka eyed me for a few seconds before replying.

"I found him taking a nap next to a Minotaur." She explained. "I had to save him."

"I-I wasn't taking a nap..." I added.

"Hm..." The winged girl hummed. She studied me for a few seconds more, focusing intently on the clothes that I was wearing.

"He's an Un-Prinny, isn't he?" She said with a smile. "Just like you, Fuka."

That's the second time I've been described using that weird phrase. An Un-Prinny? Sounded stupid.

"Yeah..." She muttered. "I'm gonna take him to Valzy. Maybe he'll know what to do with him."

"I see." The girl replied. "Has he been informed of his circumstances yet?"

"...No." Fuka replied uneasily.

"Ah. How unfortunate..." She said, turning to face me and lowering her head. "I pray for your well-being, lost soul."

I was getting the distinct impression that I wasn't here for a good reason. I was starting to get pretty anxious about this whole thing. This 'Valzy' fellow, despite the rather odd name, didn't sound like the most pleasant of individuals.

"Thanks." I muttered, not knowing how I should reply.

And like that, the odd winged girl walked off without a word of goodbye.

"There are some interesting people here, huh?" I said.

"That was Artina." Fuka explained. "An Angel."

"W-Woah... seriously?" I asked. "Like, from heaven!?"

"It's called Celestia." She replied. "But yeah. Kinda."

"If that was an Angel, then..." I muttered. "Where are we?"

"I've got a friend who can explain everything to you." Fuka said. "He's a Vampire, but don't worry, he only eats sardines."

"That doesn't sound like a very vampiric thing to do."

"Tell me about it." She said. "Anyway, we'll find him not too far from here. Follow me."

* * *

We entered a large manor situated at the edge of the town. The building itself was rather imposing, towering over the neighbouring homes by a considerable margin. It certainly struck me as somewhere a Vampire would dwell. The antiqued halls of the manor were old and dirty, with cobwebs visible in every conceivable crevice. It was clear that the place hadn't been tended to for a very long time.

"Don't let the interior design fool you." Fuka said. "Valzy's actually a pretty cool guy when you get used to him."

"I'll try and keep that in mind..."

We conversed as we walked through the halls to wherever Fuka was planning on taking me. Eventually, we found ourselves walking through a living room-type area. Complete with a chandelier and a few chairs strewn about the room. This part of the manor at least seemed more well-kept than the other areas.

"Just wait here." Fuka said. "I'm going to fetch Valzy."

I did as the strange girl asked and watched as she exited through a door on the opposite side of the room. It dawned on me that this was the first time I had been alone since Fuka saved me from being killed by the Minotaur. It felt odd being alone in a place like this.

"I must say, I've never seen you around here before."

Turns out I wasn't alone. I spun around, taking a few steps back for precaution as I took note of the character standing in front of me. He had unnaturally long, white hair and carried a stoic feel about him. He stood much taller than me, which made him all the more imposing.

"Y-You're not going to kill me, are you?" I asked.

"Well, I might, depending on why you're here." The strange man said. "You're not some kind of assassin after the master, are you?"

"Assassin!? N-No way!" I shouted in response. "I-I was brought here by a girl named Fuka!"

"Hm? Miss Fuka?" He questioned. "Well, I suppose I can see why. Unless you stole those clothes, then you're an Un-Prinny. Am I correct in assuming so?"

"I've got no idea what that is." I replied truthfully.

"Really? Did Miss Fuka not brief you on your situation?" He asked. "You must be a new arrival. I'm sorry for appearing in such an imposing manner."

Saying that, the odd fellow bowed in front of me and introduced himself.

"My name is Fenrich." He said. "I am Lord Valvatorez's humble servant."

Valvatorez. Sounds like that 'Valzy' person that Fuka was going on about before she left.

"Uh... it's nice to meet you..." I said. "My name's Scribe."

Just as introductions were underway, the door that Fuka had previously exited through burst open dramatically. I was a little surprised when, instead of Fuka, the imposing image of another tall gentlemen entered into the room. He wore a long cape that flowed behind him as he entered the room. His eyes, instead of being rounded like an ordinary human's, were vertical slits, like a cat.

The tall and intimidating person who referred to himself as 'Fenrich' quickly rushed over to the mysterious gentleman's side as soon as he entered the room.

"Lord Val, what an excellent entrance!" He praised. "I'm sure the young lad over there is positively shaking in his boots!"

Indeed I was. If things carried on like this, I was going to have a heart attack before the day was over.

The terrifying cape-wearing gentleman referred to as 'Valvatorez' quickly turned his attention to me, the little kid who was dragging hell-soot all over his living room floor.

"You weren't lying." He spoke. "He's an Un-Prinny."

"See! Told you!"

Fuka was standing behind Valvatorez. She pointed at me excitedly.

"Honestly, are Prinny hides that difficult to make these days?" He muttered, walking towards me. "You."

"Y-Yes?" I replied.

"Do you know where you are?"

"No."

"Do you know why you are here?"

"No."

"Do you like sardines?"

"No... wait, excuse me?"

"Sardines, boy! Do you like them?"

I shot a confused glance at Fuka. She shrugged.

"I... I suppose I do." I replied nervously.

"Ah. Good." Valvatorez replied. "For a moment there, I thought you were a lost cause."

"Right..." I replied. "...So, do you mind telling me where I am?"

"You're in Hades."

"Okay, bad question." I replied. "Why am I here?"

"You died." He explained. "Kicked the bucket. Bit the dust. Ceased to be."

I looked down at myself. I didn't have any injuries, and I felt perfectly fine.

"I'm alive." I responded. "I don't feel anything."

"You wouldn't be saying that if you were a Prinny." He replied. "But you don't know what that is, do you?"

I shook my head.

Valvatorez clapped his hands together twice. A few seconds passed silently before one of the doors to the living room burst open. Out from the door came a creature that I had never seen before, mythologically or otherwise. It resembled a Penguin, albeit with an odd blue colour scheme and countless stitches across every limb on its body. It had a small satchel slung around its stomach.

"You called, Lord Valvatorez dood?" The small blue creature said.

Valvatorez looked at me, and gestured to the thing like I was supposed to know what it was.

"This is a Prinny." He explained. "This is what you should have become."

I looked at my clothes. The colour scheme matched what the Prinny looked like, with the odd hat clearly meant to mimic the creature's head.

"Why didn't I?" I asked.

"When a person's soul is transferred into the body of a Prinny, it requires a Prinny hide." He explained further. "Unfortunately, the production of Prinny hides is at an all-time low thanks to recent events."

That explained the stitches on the Penguin's body. The soul of a human was literally sewn into its body. Sounded gruesome. I'm pretty happy that didn't happen to me.

"We came up with a workaround, however." Valvatorez continued. "We simply had to leave the soul in the human's body, and provide them with garments that would label them as a Prinny."

I tugged at my clothes. It was certainly better than being stuck inside the body of a Penguin. Plus, I could take them off whenever I wanted to.

"We have a term for these unique cases." Valvatorez said. "Un-Prinnies."

Things were starting to make a lot more sense. I still had a lot of questions, but it made me feel a little better knowing that they were more of them being answered than there were being built up.

"Count yourself as a very lucky individual, my boy." Valvatorez said. "Prinnies have a very tormented existence."

"How's that?" I asked.

"Fenrich, if you would be so kind as to demonstrate."

The intimidating man standing next to Valvatorez nodded his head curtly and proceeded to walk over to the Prinny standing in the doorway. Without a shred of mercy, he simply picked up the poor creature by the head and lobbed it at the opposite wall. I was having flashbacks to the Minotaur.

Thing is, I can't remember the Minotaur exploding when it hit the wall.

The Prinny laid on the ground, charred black. It still seemed to be alive, from what I could see, just in a great deal of pain.

"Prinnies have an odd tendency to explode." Valvatorez deadpanned. "Fortunately, this doesn't apply to you, considering that you're still a human."

"G-Good to know..."

"The case is the same for Miss Fuka here." He said, pointing at the girl in question. "She was the first Un-Prinny ever documented. You are the second."

"You created the term 'Un-Prinny' because of her?"

"Well, what else was I going to call it?" Valvatorez argued. "My apologies, but 'hot-headed twin-tailed girl that refuses to become a Prinny' doesn't quite have the same ring to it."

"Hot-headed!?" I heard Fuka yell. It seemed mine and Valvatorez's opinions about her were quite similar.

"So..." I began. "I'm dead?"

"Yes."

"What about my family?"

"Can you remember your family?"

"...No." I replied. "I can't."

"Then there's no need to worry!" He proclaimed.

I was dead.

There was no getting around that fact. That Angel that showed up earlier was proof enough that there was some variation of Heaven somewhere. With all the lava and dangerous monsters, wouldn't this then classify as Hell? Have I quite literally died and gone to Hell?

"Is this Hell?" I blurted out.

"Hell? Oh, no, no." Valvatorez answered. "You're in the Netherworld! Or one of them, at least."

"Netherworld?"

"A collection of different lands that each have their own theme and way of operating." He explained. "This Netherworld in particular focuses on the mass production and training of Prinnies such as yourself."

"I see. Do you have a monarchy or something?"

"Not quite. Each Netherworld is governed by an Overlord. A being of such immense power that they are able to control an entire world by themselves."

"So who's the Overlord in this Netherworld?"

"We don't abide by such rules." He answered. "This particular Netherworld is governed by a president."

"So you're a democracy?"

'Democracy' and 'Netherworld' were two words I never thought I'd ever have to combine together, but I suppose there was a first time for everything.

"I suppose." Valvatorez replied. "Only with less of the voting, and more of the killing."

"And just when I was beginning to think you'd organised a civil society, too..."

"My lord." Fenrich said, stepping forward. "I think the poor soul's mind is being overwhelmed by all the information."

"Hm. Good point." Valvatorez replied. "You feeling alright, boy? No nausea or dizziness?"

"I'm dead. I've been reincarnated as a wannabe talking Penguin, and if not for Fuka, I'd be in the stomach of a Minotaur right now." I replied, listing off today's events. "I'm coping with all of this surprisingly well, I'd like to think."

"If you say so." he replied. "Now, what are we going to do with you?"

"My lord, he's clearly more obedient than Miss Fuka. Perhaps he'd adhere to the Prinny laws?"

"What a wonderful idea, Fenrich." Valvatorez praised. "Boy."

"Y-Yes?"

"Prinny law number one!" He proclaimed. "You must always include the word 'dood' in every sentence you speak!"

"Pardon me?"

"You heard me! Put this law into effect, post-haste!"

"U-Ulp..." I gulped. "Why is that necessary?"

"I don't make the rules, boy! I simply enforce them!" He proclaimed, raising a hand in the air. "Now, show me your very best Prinny impression!"

"A-Alright. If you say so..." I replied. "...Dood..."

"You see, my lord?" Fenrich said. "He'd work well with the other Prinnies. He isn't rebellious like Miss Fuka."

"Hm... I suppose you're right." Valvatorez said. "Perhaps it would be easier to have him work off his debt."

I had quite a few objections to this plan, seeing as how Fenrich had just thrown a Prinny across the room without a hint of remorse. I got the feeling that they didn't lead the most pleasant of lives.

"Hey, hey! Wait a minute!" I heard Fuka shout. "No way are you sending this guy to work with the other Prinnies!"

"Hm? Why not, Miss Fuka?" Valvatorez asked.

"I just went through the trouble of saving him!" She answered firmly. "He's not leaving until he repays the favour!"

Couldn't argue with that. Generally, you owed quite a lot of favours to someone who saved your life. Plus, I could wager that it would be easier than working as a Prinny.

"I suppose it's only fair that the boy repay Miss Fuka for what she did." Valvatorez stated, turning his gaze to me. "I'm sure that's alright with you, isn't it?"

"O-Of course!" I replied quickly. "I'll help her in any way I can!"

"Is that a promise?"

"Yes!"

"...That's good to hear." He replied. "Just make sure you don't break that promise. Otherwise, you'll face the dire consequences."

"What do you mean?"

"Lord Val has a very strict policy when it comes to promises." Fenrich explained. "He's never broken one in his life."

I felt as if I was being dragged into something that I wouldn't be able to get out of easily.

"So it's settled." Valvatorez said. "The boy will remain with us until he can repay Miss Fuka's kindness back."

How many favours equated to the saving of someone's life? Quite a lot, I imagined to myself.

"What's your name, boy?" He asked.

"Scribe, my lord." Fenrich answered in my place. "Me and him exchanged names before you came here."

"Scribe..." Valvatorez mumbled. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise." I replied.

I felt like I should be objecting to something. I mean sure, I'm pretty happy with repaying Fuka's kindness, but I'd also be pretty happy if I could return to a state of not being dead. I probably still had a family somewhere, and I couldn't help but feel a little terrible knowing that I had just gone off and died one day.

Debt was a horrific thing. But I suppose I have to pay the price for someone saving my life. Perhaps it's better that I don't remember whatever family I had. It made it a lot easier to deal with the fact that I was currently dead, as I didn't really have anything to miss.

"Hey."

Fuka said that. She was waving her hand in my face.

"You alright? She asked. "You've been daydreaming for a few minutes."

"Ah. Yeah, I'm fine." I replied.

"Excellent." Valvatorez commented. "Now, if you'll excuse us, Miss Fuka, I'll have to show our new friend his accommodations."

"Sure." Fuka replied, walking off in the direction of the door, punching my shoulder as she walked past. "See you around, Scribe."

"Yeah..." I muttered in response. I watched as she exited the room, baseball bat slung over her shoulder, presumably with the intent of murdering more creatures five times her size.

"An interesting girl, isn't she?" Valvatorez asked.

"I'm not sure. I think I'm more scared of her than anything else."

Valvatorez chuckled.

"That's the strength of someone who's been in Hades for a long period of time." He explained. "Perhaps you'll turn out like her some day."

"Throwing Minotaurs around certainly sounds like an interesting pastime..."

"Indeed. Now follow me, I need to show you where you'll be staying."

"Is that really necessary?" I asked. "I don't want to be more of a bother to you than I already am."

"Have you seen the size of this place, boy?" Valvatorez asked, his voice echoing as if to make a point. "Plus, you'd be dead before long if you lived out there."

I shrugged my shoulders and followed in Valvatorez's wake as he went through one of the many exits to the room. The hallway that we began to walk down was remarkably similar to the one I had seen when first arriving here. It almost seemed like a castle with its impressive size and presentation. There were an array of doors leading to what I could only assume were bedrooms and other associated services.

We walked silently through the impossibly-long corridor before Valvatorez abruptly came to a stop at one of the doors. It looked exactly the same as any of the other doors that I had seen in the mansion. I wondered how in the world I was going to remember where this was.

"This room will be your quarters." He explained, pushing the door open. "I hope it is to your liking."

Considering the complexity of the mansion, the rooms were remarkably small and plain. There was little else to see apart from the bed, a few cabinets and a wardrobe strewn across the room. What surprised me the most, however, was that the room was significantly more well-kept than any other place I had seen in the mansion. There weren't any spiders lurking in the corners of the room, and the thick layer of dust I had seen on every piece of furniture thus far was completely gone.

"I can always give you another room, if you feel as if you require more suitable quarters."

"No, no! Honestly, this is perfect!" I yelled in protest. "Thank you, Valvatorez."

"Please, boy, just call me Val." He replied humbly. "Or Valz. Or Valzy."

"People like giving you nicknames, huh?" I asked.

"It appears so." He replied. "Anyway, I must be off. I've some work to attend to. Please make yourself at home."

Saying that, Val promptly left the room and closed the door behind him.

Was he really a Vampire? I thought Vampires were supposed to be cold-blooded, soulless murderers who preyed on the weak? Val seemed pretty friendly from what I had seen. Although considering how he has his own servant who was intimidating by himself, it was pretty obvious that he was extremely powerful.

I looked around the room. It wasn't like I had brought any belongings with me, so there wasn't anything to unpack or set up. I walked over to the bed and laid down on it. It felt nice to relax, seeing as I hadn't actually had the chance to do so since I came here.

So much had happened in the past few hours. I felt as if I should be more worried about myself. I had, apparently, just died and went to hell. Any family I previously had is probably grieving over me right now. I've been unsuccessfully sentenced to a life as an exploding Penguin, and I've been roped into paying back a girl who saved my life. It's been a pretty eventful day, and my brain was doing an awfully good job of suppressing any negative feelings that I might be having.

In fact, the only thing I could feel right now was excitement. I've never been in this kind of situation before. I've never once had my life threatened, meaning that I've never truly had the feeling of adrenaline pumping through my veins. I felt an odd mixture of exhilaration and fear when that Minotaur attacked me, and I couldn't help but feel completely amazed by Fuka's effortless punting of the creature.

Fuka was a human. She had been through the same process that I went through. Did she really become that strong simply by being with Valvatorez? He must've gotten into quite a few scuffles for her to get that kind of inhuman strength.

Speaking of which, the reason that I was sitting in this room was precisely her. I had promised to pay back my debt to her somehow, which meant I had to do everything she said, right? I couldn't exactly back out of it. Not after what Val said would happen to me if I broke the promise.

I was daydreaming so much that I almost didn't hear the door to the room opening. I quickly sat up on the bed and checked to see who could be visiting.

I was expecting Fenrich or Val at the doorway. Imagine my surprise when I was staring at the twin-tailed Un-Prinny herself. She had a rather peaceful expression on her face until she noticed me, wherein it immediately contorted into one of extreme embarrassment.

"W-Wha..." She muttered. "S-Scribe?"

"Hm?" I replied.

"W-What are you doing in my room!?"

"...Eh?"

My reflexes were akin to that of a statue's, so I wasn't quite ready when a wooden baseball bat ricocheted off my forehead and landed on the ground some distance away, sending me spiralling towards the floor at the other edge of the bed. I hit the woodwork with a thud, groaning as my body made contact with the ground.

"Uwah! Are you alright, Scribe!?" I heard Fuka yell.

"Didn't you just throw a bat at my head...?" I replied slowly. "I'm far from alright, to be perfectly honest..."

Humorously, Fuka retrieved her bat before tending to me. It gave me a good insight as to how important she thought I was.

"Sorry about that..." She said apologetically.

"Was throwing that thing at me really necessary?" I asked, rubbing my forehead.

"Yeah." She deadpanned. "What would you do if someone was in your bed?"

"I wouldn't throw a baseball bat at them, for one thing..." I answered. "...So this is your room?"

"Uh-huh." She replied. "So what are you doing here?"

"Valvatorez said that this was the room I'd be staying in."

"He said that!?" She yelled. "That sardine-loving..."

That certainly explained why this particular room wasn't a dust trap like the rest of the mansion.

"Sorry about this..." I muttered. "I'll ask Valvatorez if I can have another room."

I picked myself up from the ground and patted myself down before heading towards the door.

"Wait, wait!" Fuka yelled, stopping me. "I-It's fine, really. You don't have to."

"You sure? There are a hundred other rooms I could stay in, you know."

"Yeah, but those rooms are all dusty and messy and stuff." She replied. "You could... I dunno, catch something if you stayed in there."

"I can clean it in my spare time." I said.

"Yeah, but..." Fuka replied. "Look... I'm trying to be nice. I don't want you having a bad first impression of me."

She took down a Minotaur with nothing but brute strength, and she expects me to have a good first impression of her?

"B-But-"

"But what?"

"T-There's only one bed."

I said that while pointing towards the end of the room, where there was very clearly only one bed to be seen. The one I had just been flung off. Fuka quickly seemed to decipher the implications of this predicament, and a bright red colour amassed on her cheeks.

"N-No way! I can't share it with you!" She yelled. "You can sleep on the floor! That's your first favour to me, alright?"

I was about to protest before I realised that there wasn't much point. I did owe her, after all.

I turned my eyes to Fuka. She had her hands over her face, the blush still vaguely apparent through the cracks in her fingers. I had taken her for a tomboy when I first met her. It felt weird seeing her acting all embarrassed. It made me a little more self-conscious about Fuka being a girl who was the same age as me.

I had never been any good around girls, especially if they were popular or good-looking. I always ended up tripping over my own words whenever I tried to speak to them. My mouth felt a little dryer knowing that I was going to be sharing a room with a girl I barely knew.

"What are you staring at?" Fuka asked.

One of her eyes poked through a small gap in her hands. She stared at me with a look of prejudice.

"N-Nothing!" I replied quickly, averting my eyes.

"...Pervert."

"I wasn't looking at anything!"

"Jeez..." She muttered. "Why'd I get stuck with a weirdo like you?"

"Well... it was your decision to save me." I explained. "You could've left me there to die, if you really wanted to."

"Come on. I'm not that heartless."

"I guess not." I replied. "You know, I never really did get to thank you properly for that."

"Don't mention it."

"It's hard not to mention the fact that you saved my life." I replied. "I promise that I'll make it up to you."

"I-Idiot..." She muttered, her face growing red again. "Don't say stuff like that just to get on my good side..."

"You don't seem like a very trusting person..."

"How am I supposed to trust someone ignorant enough to nearly get themselves killed by a Minotaur?"

"Well, that was where I woke up."

"And? You could've ran." She replied. "You could've helped me when I fought it, instead of just staring."

I recoiled at that. True, I spent the majority of our first encounter with my mouth agape, watching in complete awe as a girl my age single-handedly sent a Minotaur careening through the air with a single blow. Saying that, I wasn't very strong, and the chances of me being killed vastly superseded the chances of me actually being able to do any damage.

"I'm sorry..." I apologised.

"You're pretty weak, you know." Fuka pointed out. "You're gonna have to toughen up if you plan on staying here."

"And how do you propose I do that?"

"Go kill some low-level demons or something." She replied. "I know a great place. I'll take you there tomorrow."

"But I've never killed anything before..."

"Come on. They're just monsters." She said. "You'd be surprised how easily they go down."

I thought back to how Fuka killed the Minotaur. Was it really that easy to do?

"I think I'm starting to have second thoughts about this..." I said.

"Hey, it's better than working with the rest of the Prinnies." Fuka said.

"Why's that?"

"Prinnies have to work non-stop for thousands of years." She explained. "Then, if they're lucky, they get reincarnated."

"Sounds horrible..." I said. "Wasn't Valvatorez considering sending me to work with the Prinnies?"

"Yeah, but I stopped him." Fuka replied. "You're welcome."

"Ah... thanks." I said. "You've been helping me a lot today, huh?"

"D-Don't get the wrong idea, okay?" She replied. "I only did that because I already went through the trouble of saving you."

"Duly noted." I said. "...Thanks for that."

"Stop thanking me, already!" She shouted. "That's another order!"

I couldn't shake the feeling that Fuka was abusing her authority somewhat.

Fuka let out a heavy sigh before walking over to the bed. She placed her bat on the ground and quickly crawled underneath the covers. I simply stood in the same spot, staring bewildered at her odd actions. She turned her body around to stare at me with an annoyed expression.

"Well?" She asked. "Aren't you going to go to sleep?"

"Is it really that late?" I asked.

Hades didn't appear to change weather or brightness regardless of the time of day. Turning my eyes to the wall, there was a small clock that conversantly stated the current time.

02:30am

It was, indeed, rather late. I wondered how long I had been asleep for when I first arrived here. I was more concerned, however, as to how the person who created these clocks knew what time it was in the first place.

I lowered my gaze to the floor. Stone masonry stretched across the ground, striking me as incredibly uncomfortable even before I had laid down on it. Did Fuka honestly expect me to sleep on the floor? I looked back at the girl in question. The bed was a double bed. It was designed specifically to accommodate more than one person, and thus its full potential would be wasted if only one person were to sleep in it, especially if the option of a second person was quite literally in the same room.

"The bed-"

"No."

"Urgh..."

I was shot down before I could even complete my sentence.

"This is kind of unfair..."

"And? You're in my debt, right?" She asked. "Then sleep on the floor."

I went to respond, but settled instead for a deep sigh. I made my way to the cleanest area of the floor I could find and shivered involuntarily as my hands made contact with the freezing stone tiles. I laid down in the most comfortable position I could possibly think of and tried not to pay too much attention to how badly my spine was going to hurt the following morning

I looked back at the bed, where Fuka was still staring at me curiously. I kept eye contact with her for a few seconds before she suddenly sat upright in the bed, glaring daggers at me.

"You're really insufferable, you know that?" She said. "How do you expect me to sleep when there's someone sleeping on the floor?"

"But you asked me to..." I muttered in response.

"You weren't actually supposed to listen to me!" She yelled. "Jeez... are you really that gullible!?"

I didn't know how to respond to that. Fuka continued to stare at me until she turned her gaze downwards sheepishly and motioned to the other end of the bed.

"Get in..."

"Pardon me?"

"Didn't you hear me!? I said get in!" She yelled.

As I began to understand Fuka's order, I couldn't help but let a small blush appear on my cheeks.

"A-Are you inviting me?"

"D-Don't say it like that, you idiot!" She yelled. "Now hurry, before I change my mind!"

I didn't pay any heed to the repercussions of Fuka's kindness. I'd have done anything to avoid sleeping on that dreaded floor for another minute. I quickly scampered to my feet, moving to the other end of the bed and making myself welcome on the comfortable sheets. Sleep's welcome embrace would've been mere seconds away if I wasn't already painfully aware of the fact that there was someone else in the bed.

I sneaked a quick look at Fuka's end of the bed. She was piled up at the edge, her back turned to me. It was clear that, even though it was due to her own decisions, she wasn't particularly comfortable with sharing a bed.

"Thank-"

"Don't speak." She demanded. "And don't look at me! I'll never forgive you if you do!"

After she said that, I didn't have any problems with turning my back away and moving to the far edge of the bed. It almost made me consider if sleeping on the floor would be a lot easier. I was barely going to get any sleep, knowing that there was another person, and a girl at that, right next to me.

There was a small window at the edge of the room, meaning that we were in one of the outer rooms in the mansion. If I squinted, I could spot the unearthly glow of the distant lava flows and the craggy surfaces of cliff-faces and hills. The scene was oddly captivating for a mythical hell-verse.

"Is it weird being here?"

Fuka asked me that. I didn't have to turn my head to know that she had noticed me looking out the window.

"I thought I wasn't supposed to speak?"

"I'll temporarily lift that order." She replied.

"...Yeah." I answered. "I guess so."

"You're taking this awfully well." She pointed out. "You're dead, you know."

"You don't have to remind me."

"You know, I didn't believe it at first either." She continued. "I thought it was all a dream."

"I don't blame you."

"...Is that what you think, too?"

"I dunno." I replied. "It isn't, is it?"

"No."

"Then what's the point in me believing that?" I asked. "I can accept this as reality."

"What about your family?"

"I can't remember them, if I had any."

"Jeez... you're a real downer, you know that?"

"Yeah. Maybe." I replied. "...Hey, Fuka?"

"Hm?"

"Were you really a human? Before all this?" I asked. "You seem way too strong."

"Of course I was!" She yelled. "That's just experience from being around Valzy all day long."

"I just didn't know humans could become that powerful."

"Of course! If you train as hard as me, then maybe you'll be as as great as I am some day."

"...Heh." I chuckled. "You're an interesting girl, Fuka."

"E-Eh!?" She exclaimed. "Y-You won't get anywhere by flattering me, you know!"

"Well, that wasn't really my intention..." I replied. "I just said you were interesting."

"O-Oh..." She muttered. "Y-Yeah! I knew that! You didn't have to tell me!"

"Still, to become that strong, Hades has to be a dangerous place, right?"

"...Yeah. You kind of get used to it after a while."

"You seem to get used to a lot of things here 'after a while'."

"I wouldn't worry about it." Fuka said. "As long as Valzy's around, you won't run into too much trouble."

"...He seems powerful."

"Yeah. He's one of the most powerful demons in Hades."

"He doesn't act like it."

"Yeah, that's just how he is." She replied. "You kind of get used to it after a while."

"If you say that again, I'm going to hit you."

Fuka giggled. It was the first time I heard her laugh. It sounded oddly feminine and girlish, considering her personality.

"That's just my sense of humour." She explained. "You get used to it after a wh- Mmph!"

Fuka's sentence was ended prematurely by my own personal intervention. I had taken it upon myself to retrieve one of the bed's pillows and toss it in her general direction. Despite my complete lack of positional knowledge, the pillow appeared to hit her in the face, giving me a relaxing few seconds of silence before she pulled the pillow away from her head, positively fuming with anger.

"You're digging your own grave, Scribe..." She muttered, a wicked smile forming on her lips.

"You had it coming." I replied casually.

I felt a soft impact to the back of my head. I reached my arm around to find that she had tossed the pillow back. It was a remarkably soft throw, almost to the point where I was surprised that Fuka could even limit herself to such a harmless attack.

"That didn't hurt." I said.

"Of course it didn't." She replied. "It wasn't supposed to hurt you."

"Oh? The hot-headed twin-tails girl is finally showing some mercy?" I teased.

"S-Shut up..." She said. "You're training tomorrow, so I can't have you getting any injuries."

"And there I was, thinking you were finally showing some kindness to me..."

We spent the next few minutes in silence. I didn't know if the conversation had drawn to a close, or Fuka was simply stumped for a conversation topic. I had almost fallen asleep when she finally decided to speak up once more.

"It's..." She began. "It's nice having another Un-Prinny here."

"...Alright." I replied, not entirely sure how to respond.

"T-There. I said something nice about you..." She said, her voice muffling as she dove her mouth underneath the covers. "Now stop bothering me and go to sleep. That's an order."

After that, Fuka didn't say anything else. I spent a good few more minutes listening to see if she had anything else to say, but it became apparent after a short while that she had fallen asleep. I, myself, was starting to feel taxed by today's events.

"A new life..." I muttered, quiet enough so only I could hear.

Is that what this really was? A completely clean slate, wiped clean of any memories I previously had, save my name? Dying wasn't as dramatic as I expected it to be. I certainly wasn't expecting to have to share a bed with a girl I barely knew on my first day in hell.

It was all so much to take in. And yet, I didn't seem particularly fazed by any of it. I've been treating this as an ordinary day, bar the Minotaur attack and the obvious change of scenery. It's almost like I'm already used to this place.

I rolled over silently, turning my gaze to Fuka, who had apparently disregarded her original position and was now sleeping whilst facing me. I felt a small blush appear on my cheeks. She was sleeping soundly. With a face so innocent, you would never guess that she was capable of flinging a Minotaur with a single blow.

Fuka was the only human I knew. The only reason behind that being her rescuing me from a near-certain demise. I unwillingly fell into an almost limitless debt that I knew I would never be able to pay back.

I sighed quietly. There was no point in being depressed over it so late at night. I turned my body to face away from Fuka and tried to make myself as comfortable as possible. Forgetting about Fuka's presence wasn't very difficult, and I soon found myself succumbing to the comfort of the bed.

"Just what have I gotten myself into?" I muttered, slowly closing my eyes.

* * *

"Lord Val?"

"Yes, Fenrich?" Valvatorez responded. "What is it?"

"That room that you assigned Scribe to..." He began. "...Wasn't that also the room of miss Fuka?"

"Yes." Valvatorez answered. "What about it?"

"Well..." Fenrich muttered. "Isn't that a little... impractical? There is only one bed in that room."

"Well, I couldn't exactly give him another room. Miss Fuka's room was the only clean one."

"Yes, but-"

"And that bed has more than enough space for two." Valvatorez continued. "I'm sure they've worked it out somehow, Fenrich."

"...Yes. Of course, my lord." Fenrich replied. "I apologise for doubting you."


	2. Training

I was awoken the next morning by an unfamiliar sensation pressing up to my back. Too tired to form coherent thoughts, I shifted my weight to turn my body over, curious of the strange weight leaning against me. Upon spotting the disturbance, I moved as far as I possibly could to the edge of the bed, which, unfortunately for me, only allowed for a few extra inches of free space.

I refrained from shouting or gasping, as I didn't want to bring about the dangerous consequences that would come from making too much noise. I realised that I was holding my breath, which I fixed with a quiet exhale.

The odd sensation that I had described turned out to be Fuka, who was still sleeping soundly despite having crossed over from her side of the bed. I wanted to escape from the bed and make a run for the door, but knew full well that it would make far too much noise. I dreaded to think of what would happen to me if she woke up.

Fuka shuffled in her sleep and muttered something unintelligible before moving a little closer to where I currently was. I repressed a yell of surprise before moving a little further backwards myself to compensate for the distance. What I hadn't considered was the remaining space I had to move around, coming as quite a surprise when I suddenly tumbled over the edge of the bed and landed on the stone floor.

I probably would have been more concerned with myself if it wasn't already quite apparent that I had woken Fuka up with my antics. I heard the sounds of the bed sheets rustling before the Un-Prinny in question poked her head over the side, staring at me annoyingly.

"What are you doing down there?" She asked.

"Oh... you know..." I replied. "Not much."

Chalk it up to my idiotic thought process to give the most ridiculous answer possible. The floor was a stark contrast to the bed's warmth. A chill ran up my back at the thought of almost having to spend the night on it.

"You..." Fuka said. "You didn't sleep on the floor, did you?"

"No! Of course not!" I raised my hands in protest. "You just... forced me off."

Fuka looked to where I was before I tumbled head-first to the floor, soon realising how she had encroached upon my territory and therefore forced me to send my face flying ground-wards.

"I..." She muttered. "Y-You didn't touch me, did you!?"

"What? No!" I replied. "Wait, shouldn't you be the one apologising?"

"I don't apologise to perverts!" Fuka said, crossing her arms.

I picked myself up from the floor, patting myself down while doing so. I went to move a hand through my hair, surprised when I remembered the odd hat that I had been donning since I arrived in Hades. I hadn't even taken the hat off when I went to sleep. I removed the blue cap, blinking when a strand of hair dropped onto my eye. I ran a hand through the unkempt mess of knots that I dared call hair, brushing a few particularly annoying strands out of my face.

"Eh...?" Fuka mumbled curiously. "Your hair's a lot longer than I thought."

Most of my hair was hidden by the Prinny hat I had been wearing. Without it, one could see just how long it actually was. It wasn't massive, by ordinary standards. Nowhere near as long as Fuka's twin-tails, but definitely long enough to be considered quite unnatural for a guy. The only problem with this was that I didn't keep it under control. My hair simply devolved into whatever black, horrific shape it felt like.

"Quit staring at me." I said.

"I wasn't."

"You were." I replied. "You still are."

I ruffled my hair once more in the hopes that it would become at least decently presentable before placing the hat back on my head. Perhaps it was one of the perks of being dead, but I felt a strange need to keep the cap on at all times.

I turned my head to the window. It was just as dark outside as it was before I fell asleep. There really wasn't any sunlight here. The only light sources around were the lava flows and the street lamps.

Fuka was already by the door when I turned around. She tapped a foot impatiently, her trademark bat slung over her shoulder.

"What are you in such a rush for?" I asked.

"Didn't I tell you?" She replied. "We're training today."

"O-Oh..." I said. "You were actually being serious about that..."

"Of course I was being serious!" She shouted. "You wouldn't last a second out there with that strength of yours!"

"This all seems a little sudden." I pointed out. "Where's Val?"

"Valzy doesn't matter right now!" She answered. "Now come on, we're wasting time!"

Before I could respond, Fuka took a step forward and grabbed the arm of my jacket, effortlessly dragging me out of the room while I attempted modestly to break free of her iron grip. We passed through the large living room of the mansion, before finally leaving through the front entrance and out into the small town nearby.

"I thought we were training?" I asked.

"Yep." Fuka replied. "How're you going to fight without a weapon?"

"I don't recall giving my consent to fighting in the first place..."

Instead of replying, Fuka simply quickened her pace and kept dragging me through the dimly-lit streets of the town. I recognised a few areas from when I first came here, taking note of a few buildings that appeared to be general stores.

I couldn't help but avert my eyes whenever we passed some of the monsters that inhabited the town. Zombies, Imps and Goblins wandered the streets nonchalantly, passing by me and Fuka without so much as a second glance. Every so often, we'd see Prinnies hauling heavy objects and being given orders by their masters. I shuddered to think that I might have been among them.

We came to a stop just outside what appeared to be a small shop. Fuka let go of my arm and took a few steps back. She raised a hand to her chin inquisitively and stared intently at me for a few seconds, occasionally mumbling to herself incoherently.

"What kind of weapon do you want?" She asked.

"...I beg your pardon?"

"Weapon. Which one?" She simplified.

"I'm not following you." I replied. "Something pointy, perhaps?"

Fuka simply stared at me for a few seconds. Her expression was a mixture of humiliation and pity.

"Something pointy..." She repeated slowly. "Alright."

She walked over to the shop and started to converse with the demon who stood at the other end of the counter. They exchanged a few words before the demon retreated further into the shop. I was rather surprised when a few minutes later, it returned with a large spear in tow. It placed the weapon on the counter and began exchanging words with Fuka once more. She reached into a pocket and retrieved a small sack that jingled slightly. She placed the object on the counter and promptly took the spear into her own hands. The demon thanked Fuka, giving a half-hearted wave as she returned to where I was standing.

"Here."

Fuka shoved the pole-arm into my chest, forcing me to grip the wooden handle. The weapon stood a little taller than myself, with a rough iron edge hovering dangerously at the top.

"Seems a little..." I muttered, staring up the length of the spear. "...Unwieldy..."

"You asked for something pointy." Fuka remarked. "There's nothing pointier than a piece of metal taped to a stick."

I wasn't going to argue with that. I silently cursed myself for not being more elaborate on my weapon choice. I also tried not to pay too much attention to the fact that I had subconsciously agreed to Fuka's 'training'.

"Alright. Looks like we're all set." She said. "Let's go."

"To where, exactly?"

"A low-level demon area." She answered. "Don't worry. You won't see any Minotaurs."

I sighed and moved the spear into both hands in order to move. I reluctantly followed Fuka as she led us out of the town and into the sooty wasteland that I had first woken up in. I tried my best to hide the fact that the spear was doing a very good job of weighing me down. By the time we had come to a stop, I was practically panting for breath.

"See those over there?" Fuka asked, drawing her bat and pointing it ahead of us.

Not too far ahead of us were what appeared to be a small group of demons. Whatever they were, they didn't appear to be anything more than what I would call a ghost. Pure white, wisp-like beings whose lower bodies ended in a twirled tail, a faint red glow embedded into two hollow spots in their heads was the only sign of any real life. They wore an odd, green cowl over their heads, which stretched down to where their bodies ended. A red piece of what appeared to be fabric sprang from a bell attached to the top of their cloaks.

"Ghosts?" I muttered.

"Spirits, technically." Fuka corrected. "Souls who didn't become Prinnies."

Our voices were loud enough to reach the phantasms, who slowly turned their cowled heads towards us. There were four of them huddled together. Instead of moving towards us, or making any attempt at attacking, they simply stared at me and Fuka.

"Well?" Fuka said, giving me a shove. "Go on. Attack them."

"Eh? But they aren't attacking us."

"They are now." She replied. "Eyes forward, Scribe."

I did as she asked and turned my attention back to the spirits. I was barely given enough time to duck my head before a flaming projectile careened past the space where my head used to be, colliding with the ground nearby and sending cinders flying in every direction.

"Pay more attention, will you?" Filia said.

"T-That could've killed me!"

"But it didn't, did it?" She replied. "Now take care of the spirits. They're weaker than they look."

I turned my head to face the spirits once more, taking note of the fact that several more of the flaming balls of death appeared to be materialising in front of them. I felt Fuka push me from the back again, triggering my initiative to simply run forward, clumsily gripping my spear. I broke into as much of a sprint as the added weight allowed me, intent on closing the distance between me and the spirits as quickly as possible.

I dodged to the left as another fireball shot past me, wincing at the extreme heat the object emanated. I pulled my spear into a position where it would allow me to simply stab the spirit when I had finished running. I would simply have to improvise with the other three.

Before long, I was right in front of the spirit with a few extra singe marks on my clothes. I abruptly brought my sprint to a close, pulling my arms backwards and pushing them forward with the added momentum, sending the spear straight into the spirit's body.

I was expecting the horrific sound of metal against flesh, but the odd sound that came when I pierced the spirit was more akin to what you'd get if you punched a pillow. The green-clad ghost let loose a strange sound that I attributed to what was intended to be pain, before quickly evaporating into a cloud of brightness. The light slowly dissipated in the air before vanishing completely.

 _"I did it!"_ I thought to myself.

My brief celebration was brought to a close when I noticed the other spirits had began to gather around me, the strange balls of fire still appearing in front of them. I reacted on instinct and made a small jump forwards, grunting in pain as some of the embers from the projectile came into contact with my leg. I landed in front of one of the spirits, and quickly performed a horizontal swing with my spear, attacking with a degree of dexterity that I didn't know I had. The second spirit perished in a similar manner to the first, leaving me with only two left.

I swiftly turned around and made it a point to dash at the remaining enemies, weaving in and out of the fireballs which were now being dispatched at a terrifying speed. I quickly downed the third spirit, pulling my spear from its vanishing body and raising it into the air. I shifted my body weight to the final spirit and threw the spear as quickly as I possibly could. I rejoiced as the spear managed to pierce the spirit's wisp body, its own evaporation beginning before the last one had even ended.

I panted heavily, wheezing with fatigue as the adrenaline pumping through my blood ceased to be. Before I knew it, I was on the ground, breathing with a rewarding combination of terror and exhilaration. I closed my eyes for a few seconds, happy with the fact that I was still alive. When I opened them again, I saw Fuka standing over me with an amused expression on her face.

"Heh. I have to admit, Scribe, that was pretty cool." She said, extending a hand. I happily accepted her help and allowed her to pull me off the ground with minimal effort.

"Thanks..." I muttered. "It was... difficult..."

"Hey, don't be so modest." She scolded. "You handled that pretty well. I thought I was going to have to take you to the hospital for third-degree burns."

"It's good to know that you had confidence in me..."

I walked over to my spear, which had dropped to the ground after the final spirit had disappeared. I picked the weapon up and held it with a renewed sense of confidence in my ability to wield it. It might have just been my imagination, but it almost felt like I was somewhat stronger than I was before I fought the spirits.

"So?" Fuka asked, putting her hands behind her back. "Feel any different?"

"I guess." I answered. "It feels like I'm a little stronger."

"Great!" She exclaimed. "That means you've levelled up!"

"Um..." I muttered. "Excuse me?"

If I recalled correctly, 'levelling up' was a term used in video games. It refers to a character scrounging enough battle experience together, which allows them to become stronger. I felt stronger, sure, but it felt a little odd referring to it in such a manner.

"Things work a little differently in the Netherworld." Fuka explained. "Kill something, and you steal a little power for yourself. That's why I'm so strong."

"That explains why you were hunting Minotaurs."

"Yep!" She replied. "If you killed one of them, your strength would increase tenfold! Although in my case, I'd have to kill a few hundred just to get a little stronger."

So, in comparison, Fuka was several hundred times as powerful as I was.

"But I'm still not as powerful as Valvatorez." She said.

"He's that strong, huh?"

"Yeah. He could become the overlord if he wanted to."

Valvatorez was one of the most pleasant people I had the pleasure of speaking to when I came here. It was more than a little discouraging being told that he could kill me at a moment's notice.

"Hey."

"Hm?"

"What happened to those spirits?" I asked. "After I... well, you know..."

"Who knows?" Fuka replied. "Where do you think someone goes if they die in the afterlife?"

"That does seem a little odd." I remarked. "The second afterlife, maybe?"

Fuka stared at me for a few seconds before letting out a short giggle.

"Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?" She said, amidst snickers.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Where to next?" I asked.

"We should probably head back to the town." She replied. "The others are probably wondering where we are."

By 'the others', I assume she meant Valvatorez and Fenrich, and perhaps that odd angel who called herself 'Artina'. Just as I finished that thought, I heard an unfamiliar voice calling from some distance away.

"Oi!" The voice shouted. "Fuka!"

Both I and Fuka turned around to confront the new presence. What greeted us was a short, blonde boy clad in a green hoodie. His attire reminded me of the spirit's clothing, particularly how there was a similar bell attached to the end of the hood, and instead of a piece of cloth suspended in the air, a large blue flame flickered brightly from the end of the bell.

The boy had an imposing air about him, further emphasised by his prominent red eyes. He stood with his hands in his pockets, staring at both me and Filia with half-closed eyes.

"Emizel!" Fuka shouted, waving her hand enthusiastically.

I followed Fuka as she began to walk towards the boy, trying to make myself as small as possible.

"What're you doing out here, Fuka?" The boy asked, turning his attention to me. "And who's that?"

"I was training." Fuka replied. "Oh, and this is Scribe. He's an Un-Prinny!"

The boy turned towards me and looked me over, almost to analyse me. He began to walk towards me, nearly encouraging me to stand back with how close he was becoming. Without warning, he quickly flipped me around and placed an arm over my shoulder, bringing his face dangerously close to mine.

"Scribe, huh?" He muttered. "Nice to meet you. I'm Emizel."

I took the hand he offered and shook it nervously.

"I'll assume you're one of Fuka's friends?" I asked.

"Well, 'friends' is pushing it." He replied. "She and the other girls kind of scare me, honestly."

"Other girls?" I asked. "You mean Fuka, Artina, and...?"

"Desco, but you obviously haven't met her yet." Emizel said. "Now listen up."

His voice descended to a whisper. I could tell without looking that Filia was attempting to raise herself up in order to stare into our conversation.

"You and I, we're both guys." He explained. "And guys have to look out for each other, right?"

"I don't quite get where you're going with this..."

"Look, I'm just saying that if you've got my back, then I've got yours." He replied. "Trust me, you'll need all the help you can get around that psycho..."

"I-I see..."

"And you're an Un-Prinny, too." He said. "Fuka's got her eye on you, I can tell."

Emizel shot a judging glance at Fuka before continuing.

"Just be careful, alright?" He said. "God knows why you're hanging around Fuka, anyway. Maybe you've got a thing for her or something."

"E-Excuse me!?"

"What? It's plausible." He deadpanned.

"N-No, no, you've got it all wrong!" I shouted. "She just saved my life! I owe her a debt!"

"Sure, dude. Whatever floats your boat." He said. "Weird, too... thought there were some spirits over here a few minutes ago..."

"Ah..." I mumbled. "I-I might have already gotten rid of them..."

"Aw, for real?" Emizel moaned. "Stealing kills is lame, bro. I'm death, I'm supposed to be taking care of this."

"Pardon me?" I asked, confused. "You're... death?"

"Well, one of them." He replied. "I reap souls."

To emphasise his point, an impossibly long scythe materialised in Emizel's hands. The weapon completely dwarfed my spear by a considerable margin. I suddenly appeared a lot smaller next to this boy, who apparently spent his spare time reaping souls.

"I see..."

"Don't give me that look." Emizel said. "I'm not going to kill you."

The fact that he had to clarify that made me even more afraid of him. Someone who carries around a weapon of that size doesn't usually have much remorse for weaklings like me.

"Anyway, I guess I'll see you guys around." Emizel said, somehow managing to sling the scythe over his shoulder without decapitating himself. Before leaving, he placed two fingers to his eyes before pointing them at me and repeating the motion. He left without another word.

"What was that all about?" Fuka asked.

"Even I'm not too sure..." I muttered in response.

"Well, at least you got to meet Emizel." She said. "Now the only person you've got left to meet is Desco."

"I heard Emizel mention her." I replied. "What kind of name is Desco?"

"It stands for Death/Extermination Submersible Combat Organism."

"S-Sounds like a lovely person..." I said.

"She's two years old."

"What kind of parent names their child that!?"

"Mine." Fuka said with a grin. "My father created Desco!"

"O-Oh..." I said. "So she's a human?"

"No. She's a final boss."

"What kind of madman was your father!?"

"Don't worry about it." Fuka dismissed. "She's harmless. Mostly. Not really."

"With a name like that, I hope you've got her on a tight leash..."

"She wouldn't harm a friend of mine."

"Funny. First I've heard of you referring to me as a friend."

"Don't take it the wrong way, you idiot!" She yelled. "It's just so that Desco doesn't hurt you!"

"Sure, sure."

I thought back to what Emizel said to me.

 _"Maybe you've got a thing for her or something."_

I shook my head and placed my hands over my cheeks, as to hide a large blush that was quickly brightening.

"You alright?" Fuka asked, eyeing me weirdly after just witnessing me slap myself.

"Yeah, yeah. Fine." I replied. "Come on. We should get back to the mansion."

I said that while turning around, hiding any notion of my embarrassment to Fuka. I cursed Emizel under my breath as I began to walk towards where I thought the mansion was located.

"It's this way, you idiot." I heard Fuka say.

At least now I had another reason to blush.

* * *

I balled up a hand and brought it to my mouth before coughing loudly. The mansion's particular brand of musty air was an unwelcome change to the outside world. I wondered if Valvatorez planned on fixing this place up at any point. I could spot at least seven different spiders creeping ominously about their webs from where I was standing, and I hadn't even been inside the hallways for more than ten seconds.

I suddenly took into account the fact that spiders were relatively small critters. In an ordinary situation, I'd have barely noticed one of them, let alone seven. I could even spot the individual gaps between the strands of their webs. Looking around, I could also notice small details that would have ordinarily gone unnoticed, such as the small cracks in the architecture of the building, and the small collections of dust particles that littered the floor.

"You're looking around as if you've just seen the place." Fuka pointed out. "Something wrong?"

"It's just..." I muttered. "I'm being a lot more observant than I'm used to being..."

"That's because you levelled up." She explained. "It's not just strength that changes when that happens."

That meant that other attributes had also become sharper when I defeated those spirits. Something as trivial as perception was also something that changed when I levelled up. If I was this observant from simply levelling up once, I could only imagine how perceptive Fuka or Valvatorez was.

"This 'levelling up' malarkey seems rather impressive." I muttered to myself.

"Tell that to Valzy." Fuka replied. "He'd say it's more of a grind than anything else."

I spent the remaining time in the hallway marvelling at my new-found ability, as minuscule as it might be. I barely noticed it when we passed into the living room, letting out a yell of surprise when Fuka had to pull me back in order to avoid a head-on collision with Valvatorez, who happened to be standing right in front of me.

"Miss Fuka?" He asked curiously. "What have you fed poor Scribe?"

"Nothing." She replied. "The dolt's still in ecstasy about levelling up."

"My, my..." He said. "You got him to kill something? I must admit, Scribe, you didn't strike me as the type of fellow who'd go around murdering demons."

"To be fair, Fuka didn't give me much of a choice..."

I was still lugging my spear around. I had taken to treating it like an oversized walking stick.

Valvatorez leaned in and stared at me for a few seconds, bringing a hand to his chin inquisitively.

"You do appear to have grown in strength..." He muttered. "But even still, you're barely on the level of Prinnies when it comes to power."

"G-Good to know..." I replied.

"We ran into Emizel, too." Fuka said. "He and Scribe started whispering about something. Boy stuff, no doubt."

"Good to see you're acquainting yourself with the rest of the party." Valvatorez said.

"Speaking of which, have you seen Desco anywhere?" Fuka asked.

"Funny you should ask." He replied. "She appeared not ten minutes ago. She was asking for you. I believe she said something about waiting in your room."

"Great." She replied, turning towards me. "Don't worry about it. Maybe she won't kill you."

"Looking forward to it..." I muttered.

"Oh, and Miss Fuka?" Valvatorez called.

"Hm?" She replied.

"I wouldn't spend so long on idle chit-chat." He said. "There's a situation that requires some intervention on our part. Make sure to get back quickly."

"Got it. We won't be long."

We said our farewells to Valvatorez and went about returning to Fuka's room, assumingly to confront Desco, whom I was starting to have serious qualms about meeting. I followed Fuka out of the living room and into another set of labyrinthine hallways.

I wondered if I was ever going to memorise the impossible layout of the mansion. Such a large amount of rooms made for a rather confusing experience when one was trying to identify their own. Fuka didn't have nearly as much trouble as me when it came to finding her room. She strode through the hallway without casting so much as a glance at any of the completely identical doors leading to the completely identical rooms.

It wasn't until we came to a very specific door that Fuka finally came to a halt and, by means of some form of telepathy, deduced that this door, among the countless others, was the correct one.

Not that it was particularly surprising. Even I could tell what door was the correct one. Not by appearance, but by the odd plethora of sounds erupting from the other end of the door. A veritable cacophony was practically radiating into the hallway. I became a little worried when I heard something snap, which Fuka took as an appropriate sign to enter the room.

There was a small dresser in the bedroom. What first caught my attention was that it was slanted to one side diagonally. Looking down, it appeared that one of the four legs holding the piece of furniture up had been snapped off, which lay some distance away.

What caught my attention next, and, rightly so, should have been the first thing I noticed, was the presence of another person in the room. Before I could ascertain the location of said presence, Fuka, who was standing next to me, was abruptly thrown to the floor, tackled by something fast enough to completely omit itself from my vision.

"D-Desco!?" I heard Fuka yell. "What're you doing!?"

Before turning to confront Fuka's situation, I quickly made my way to the opposite end of the room, as to avoid any of the violence that was occurring. I brought my attention to the floor, where Fuka appeared to be tangling with some something. I couldn't particularly see what it was from behind, due to a large flesh-like entity blocking my view. A purple mass that sprouted off in several directions, and sported piercing yellow eyes that were dotted randomly around.

Fuka appeared to have the situation under control, and quickly pulled off the eldritch abomination that was clinging to her before standing up and joining me on the opposite end of the room.

"Jeez, Desco..." She muttered. "Don't scare me like that..."

The thing on the floor pulled itself upright, a small tail-like growth at the bottom being used as a very impractical leg. I was about to question what I was looking at, when the mass suddenly turned itself around to face us. On the other side of the terrifying creature was what appeared to be a young girl. She was smaller than me and Fuka, if she wasn't being held up by the odd attachment on her back. I wouldn't necessarily describe what she was wearing as clothing, but more of a protective shell that resembled clothing, which had a heavy resemblance to the monster on her back. An assortment of similar yellow eyes were adorned along the girl's body.

"But big sis was taking too long..." The girl said. "Desco was getting worried..."

"Don't be so impatient." Fuka scolded. She turned towards me. "Oh. This is Desco, Scribe."

"I-I see." I mumbled, my voice shaky. "A pleasure to meet you, Desco..."

Desco seemed quite perplexed by my presence in the room. She stared at me curiously, almost as if trying to differentiate between friend or foe. Eventually, she broke into a wide smile and turned towards Fuka excitedly.

"Wow!" She exclaimed. "Big sis finally got a boyfriend!"

"..."

The room fell deathly silent.

"...I think you've misunderst-"

I would have finished my sentence if Fuka's hand hadn't suddenly left an imprint on my cheek. And, combined with her near-superhuman strength, was more than enough to send me spiralling towards the ground pathetically, sending my spear some distance across the ground.

"D-Don't joke around like that, Desco!" Fuka shouted.

"But Desco thought-"

"You thought wrong!" She yelled in reply. "W-We're not... I mean..."

Despite being in a great deal of pain, Fuka's embarrassment still remained rather humorous. I held back a chuckle, afraid that she would end my life if I were to find the situation even vaguely funny.

"Sorry..." Desco mumbled. "Desco just thought it looked that way..."

I pulled myself up from the floor and patted my clothes down.

"Changing the subject..." I said. "Your appearance is rather... perplexing, Desco."

I was, of course, referring to whatever creature was attached to her back.

"This?" Desco clarified, motioning to the monster. I nodded. "Yog Sothoth!"

What that meant and why it was given such a bizarre name was beyond me.

"It's harmless. Mostly." Fuka explained. "It's pretty deadly when Desco wants it to be."

"Another person even more powerful than me, huh?" I said.

"You haven't got anyone else to meet, so don't get too depressed about it." She replied. "By the way, Desco, why were you waiting for us?"

"Desco heard that you were going to fight monsters." Desco explained. "Why didn't you invite Desco along?"

"It was a training session for Scribe." Fuka answered. "I didn't do any of the fighting."

"You could've helped me, you know..."

"You wouldn't have levelled up if I helped you."

A few spots on my jacket were still singed black from my battle with the spirits. I was also pretty sure that I had some burns around my body. I was left to wonder how dangerous it would have been if I had been hit directly by one of the fireballs.

"You have to promise you'll take Desco along next time!" The 'final boss' demanded.

Honestly, I wasn't complaining. Anything that reduced my chances of dying horribly was more than welcome to join us. Fuka, however, didn't seem to have the same idea.

"Maybe when Scribe gets a little stronger." She said.

Desco looked a little disheartened at having been declined a chance at showing off her superior physical abilities. Her demeanour reminded me of how a child would act, although I did recall hearing Fuka saying something about her being only two years old.

Without another word, Desco made herself absent from the room, leaving only me, Fuka, and the broken cabinet alone. I walked to the opposite end of the room to retrieve the misplaced leg of the drawers and went about asking Fuka if Hades was lucky enough to be blessed with any adhesive-based products.

"Got any super glue?" I asked.

"Nope. Closest you'll get is the weird soot stuff on the ground outside." She answered. "Don't worry about it. It's just a piece of furniture. I wasn't using it anyway."

"It's bugging me." I complained. "Look. It's slanted."

I pointed to the broken leg in question. Indeed, the drawers were leaning slightly. Not anything dangerous, but it was pretty easy to spot.

"You've got burns all over you, and all you're worried about is the well-being of my furniture?" She stated mockingly, folding her arms. "You're a weirdo."

Almost to make a point, a small piece of charred fabric flaked off from my shoulder and fell to the ground. Even now, the areas where my jacket was scorched were still hot to the touch.

"Hey..." I muttered. "That was magic, right? What the spirits were using?"

"Yeah." Fuka replied. "Although that really shouldn't come as a surprise to you."

"It seemed pretty dangerous..." I muttered.

"To you, maybe." She said. "If one of those fireballs hit me, I'd barely even flinch."

Once again, I had found myself shadowed by Fuka's power. I wondered how long it would take me to reach her level.

"Anyway, we should probably head back to Valzy." She suggested. "He said that there was something that needed doing."

"Yeah, I was kind of wondering about that myself." I replied. "What did he mean by that?"

"Hm... how do I explain it..." Fuka mumbled. "All of us; Valzy, Fenfen, Artina, Desco and Emizel, we're one of the most powerful groups in Hades."

"Seriously...?"

"Yup. We saved the Earth from being destroyed."

"Seriously!?"

"Yeah. It happened after I became an Un-Prinny."

"...And why haven't I heard anything about this? Before I came here, I mean."

"Don't you think people will find it weird that a Vampire and an Angel are going around saving the world?"

"...Hm. I suppose you've got a point there."

"Exactly. Anyway, we usually end up fixing most of the Netherworld's problems."

"Meaning...?"

"Monster infestations, corrupt governments, occasionally saving the world." She listed. "Those kinds of things."

"Sounds like you've got your hands full most of the time."

"Not really. Since a few months ago, Hades had been pretty peaceful." She replied. "...As peaceful as it can get, anyway."

With that slightly morbid sentiment, we left the bedroom and began to head back to the living room.

There were more people than were previously present when we last talked to Valvatorez. Namely, the other individuals that I had come to meet since I arrived in Hades appeared to have congregated in the room, and were scattered sparsely among the room. Valvatorez stood in the centre, watching patiently as me and Fuka entered the room.

"Ah, I was waiting for you two." He said. "I expected to to come back with Desco."

"She broke something, and Scribe wouldn't shut up about it." Fuka replied.

At the mention of my name, Valvatorez turned to face me, and shot a skeptical look.

"I think it would be better if Scribe remained here." He said. "He could be killed if he joins us."

"...Something big's going down?" Fuka inquired.

"Indeed." He replied. "An unusual amount of fear energy is being produced in the human world."

Anticipating the incoming question, Fuka turned to me.

"Fear energy is what spawns monsters." She explained. "It's created when a human feels fear."

"Ordinarily, this would only result in a large amount of high-level monsters appearing." Valvatorez continued. "Instead, the fear energy appears to be accumulating in one place."

"So what you're saying is..."

"Something large is prowling Hades." He concluded. "I believe it is our job to rid the Netherworld of this problem."

"So that's why you didn't want to bring Scribe along." Fuka said.

Valvatorez nodded. "He can come along if he wishes, although I won't guarantee his safety."

Fuka looked to me, expecting an answer.

"...Yeah, I'll go." I said. "Fuka's going too, right? Then I'll help out. I've still got that debt to repay."

Valvatorez smiled. "Good to see that you're keeping your promise."

"You're sure?" Fuka asked. "You could... y'know. Die."

"I'll be fine." I responded confidently.

"...If you say so." She said.

"Fantastic." Valvatorez stated. "Thankfully, the monster isn't too far from here. We should leave as soon as possible."

I gripped the hilt of my spear tighter. The prospect of dying wasn't a particularly enjoyable thought, especially considering that I had a choice in the matter. But I at least owed this to Fuka for saving my life.

"Are you ever gonna put that thing away?" I heard the girl in question ask.

"Hm?" I replied.

Without warning, Fuka suddenly took a few steps forward and reached out, grabbing the wrist of the hand that I was using to hold the spear. Before I could protest, she quickly raised my hand into the air. I wanted to question her odd motives, and I was quite surprised when the spear suddenly vanished into thin air.

"H-Huh?" I mumbled.

Just like that, the spear had vanished from my grip.

"Think of it as a way of holstering your weapon." Fuka explained. "Try and bring it back."

Dumbfounded, and with my hand still in the air, I thought of the weapon returning to my person. Miraculously, the spear reappeared in a dim flash of light just as quickly as it had gone away. I tapped the spear's head against the ground a few times, just to prove that it wasn't an illusion.

"Huh..." I muttered. "Pretty cool."

At least now I didn't have to lug the heavy weapon around wherever I went. It didn't appear to put any added weight on me when it disappeared, either. I raised my hand into the air once more, making the spear vanish once more.

While in my bout of amazement, I appeared to have missed everything else Valvatorez was saying to the others. I muttered a few unmentionable words under my breath, cursing my evident lack of care for my own well-being.

"...That's about everything." He concluded.

"You didn't hear anything he said, did you?" Fuka asked.

"Isn't that your fault?"

"It's yours for being so easily distracted."

While we were bickering, Valvatorez had taken the liberty of joining our conversation.

"So, Scribe, will you be joining us on this outing?" He asked.

"Yeah." I replied. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"Nothing too severe." He answered. "Gratuitous death, the engorgement of your major organs, the swift destruction of your mind and soul."

"You're not helping, Val..."

"I merely wish to highlight the dangers that you could be facing."

"You're doing a pretty good job..." I commended. "...Where are we going, anyway?"

"Not too far from the town, which is both a good thing and a bad thing."

"Mr. Vampiiiire." A feminine voice called from across the room.

The odd angel girl called Artina joined the conversation.

"Yes, Miss Artina?" Val answered.

"When are we leaving?" She asked.

"Soon." He replied. "I'm simply clearing some things up with Scribe."

"Scribe...?"

Artina's eyes fell on me. She cracked a smile, assumingly recognizing me from our first encounter.

"Ah! You're the Un-Prinny from yesterday!" She exclaimed. "It's nice to see you again."

She extended a hand, which I tentatively grasped and shook after a few seconds.

"Y-Yeah..." I muttered. "...Likewise."

"Well, I should go tell the others that we'll be leaving soon." She said, moving towards Emizel, Desco and Fenrich.

"Something wrong?" Fuka asked. "You sounded pretty nervous."

"Ah, yeah..." I said, scratching the back of my head. "I'm, uh... not too good around girls..."

"...Eh?" She responded. "But you're fine around me. And Desco, for that matter."

"Well, you know..." I said. "You're not... I mean..."

"...Yes?" She encouraged, swirling her hand around and clearly becoming quite impatient.

"I just... what's the correct term?" I continued. "You're kind of... you know... petite."

I could have come up with a more suitable word. Or, better yet, I could've just kept my mouth shut. I realized the implications of my words quickly, and promptly materialised my spear, bringing it close to my body. I winced as Fuka's bat bounced off the hilt with a horrendous vibration accompanying it.

There was no doubt about it. If that hit me, I would've died.

"...I'm sor-"

"Petite!?" She yelled. "What's that supposed to mean!?"

Woe unto me for incurring Fuka's wrath. I decided to choose my next words carefully.

"Well, uh..." I muttered. "Y-You kind of... lack feminine features."

Defending myself didn't work the second time around. Fuka drew her leg back and threw it forward as hard as she possibly could, straight towards my abdomen. I was far too busy dealing with the pain to even consider the fact that she had just broken my spear in half.

I hit the ground hard, my entire body sprawling through the room not unlike the Minotaur when we first met. I slid across the floor, slowing down until my head came to a stop at the wall opposite. I would've groaned or made some kind of exclamation of pain if my stomach didn't feel like it was on fire.

"...You alright, dude?"

Emizel leaned over me with his hands in his pockets. Despite my potentially life-threatening condition, he didn't look all too bothered. He drew one of his hands out and extended it towards me, allowing me to pull myself up. I wheezed a few times, winded by the kick.

"T-Thanks..." I said.

I heard the sound of something hitting the floor behind me, and turned around to see the now-separated halves of my spear cast onto the ground. Near them was Fuka, who had apparently gone through the pointless trouble of retrieving my weapon for me.

"Hey..." I said slowly. "...Sorry about that."

"I think I'm supposed to do the apology." She replied. "I kicked you across the room. Sorry."

I looked down at the tarnished remains of my weapon solemnly. And here I was, thinking that it wouldn't leave me until the end. Just when I had started to understand the bond between weapon and man, Fuka just has to go and splinter it in two.

"I'll buy you a new one." Fuka said.

"Seems fair." I replied. "Can I get gems encrusted on the hilt this time around?"

"That'd cost a lot." She deadpanned. "But if that's what you-"

"It was a joke!" I yelled. "Just buy me the same one."

Despite their now-severely reduced combat ability, I picked the two ends of the spear up and sent them to the odd mind inventory that Fuka had been so kind as to show me. Perhaps they still had their uses.

"We should leave." Val stated. "The monster could start attacking people at any moment."

The rest of the group made for the door.

"Miss Fuka, please escort Scribe to the weapon shop and purchase him a new spear." He said. "We'll meet you both in the mid-level demon area just south of here.

With that, Val left the room, leaving me and Fuka in the living room.

"We shouldn't waste any time." She said.

* * *

Ten minutes later, and I was standing next to Fuka with a shiny new spear in hand. Despite my general lack of tolerance towards violence, it felt refreshing knowing that I could at least defend myself if need be. Plus, with where we were going, I was probably going to need all the help I could get.

"You still up for this?" Fuka asked. "You could seriously die, you know."

"So could you."

"Yeah, but my chances are pretty high compared to yours." She shot back. "...Whatever this thing is, you're not gonna be able to get close to it."

"I know." I replied. "That's not what I had in mind."

"Hm?" She hummed curiously. "What do you mean?"

"I don't plan on being involved in the battle." I explained.

"But then there's no point in you being there."

"I never said I wasn't going to contribute." I replied. "...What's your tactic for defeating large monsters?"

"...I dunno." She answered. "Run at it and kill it."

"T-That's not really a strategy..."

"What're you getting at, anyway?"

"What I'm getting at, is that I'm going to be helping from the sidelines." I explained. "A tactician, so to speak."

"I suppose that's pretty fitting, considering how weak you are." She deadpanned. "But we've already got Valzy for that."

"Val participates in the fight, right?" I asked. "It's hard to bark orders at the same time."

"So, you're going to be bossing us around?"

"I'd prefer not to put it that way." I replied. "I can scout the enemy. Point out weak points and stuff."

"Hm. I can kind of see what you're getting at." She said. "But it's not my decision. You're gonna have to take it up with Valzy."

"Fair enough." I replied.

* * *

"A tactician...?" Val said, bringing a hand to his chin. "I suppose we're in some dire need of guidance during battles."

The trek to the area that Val agreed to meet us at was another hour's walk away. As we arrived, everyone appeared to be prepping for the battle ahead. Emizel was sat on a nearby rock, sharpening his scythe with what looked like a whetstone. I was rather surprised when I spotted Artina with what appeared to be a small firearm. If I had to take a guess at what an Angel's weapon would be, a gun would not be among them.

Desco didn't appear to be brandishing a weapon. Although, considering that thing she had on her back, I don't think she needed anything of the sort. Fenrich was sitting by himself, donning what I could only describe as a pair of oversized gauntlets.

I turned back to Val. I nearly bumped into what he was brandishing in his hand. A sword, nearly as large as my spear. He held it like it weighed nothing, despite the fact that the sword was an almost impossible size. I had trouble enough lugging my spear around.

"Very well." He concluded. "I'll allow you a chance. It increases your chances of survival by a considerable margin, too."

I smiled. At least now I wouldn't have to fight anything. All I had to do was keep an eye out for any kind of weaknesses the monster might have. I was still a little confused as to what it was actually going to look like. After all, anything that draws its power from something called 'fear energy' isn't going to have the most pleasant of complexions.

My thought process was interrupted by a large booming noise that came from some distance away. I heard the sounds of idle conversation between the group cease as another, similar sound broke out a few seconds later. Occasionally, the ground would shake, and I'd feel an uneasy vibration run through my body.

"Hear that?" Val said quietly.

I nodded. "Sounds huge..."

We turned our heads to the source of the vibrations. We were on a relatively open plain of ground. There wasn't much in the way of obstructions to take note of, apart from a few lava flows that were too far away to be of any real threat. Anything large would stand out immediately. It was a pretty good spot.

What I didn't expect was how close our target had come in such a short time. In fact, I was quite literally standing in the thing's shadow by the time I turned my head to look. I took a cautious step backwards, partly for my own safety, and partly so that I could see the monster in greater detail.

It was massive, as was to be expected, it stood as tall as a large house. The first thought that came to mind was the image of a tree. Not the charred, blackened trees of Hades, but the healthy bark of something akin to an oak tree on Earth. Small tendrils of what appeared to be roots intertwined and shot out from the creature's body, somehow coming together to make something vaguely reminiscent of a human form, albeit hunched over and heavyset.

The 'trunk' of the creature shot off into arms and legs, each ending in large roots clearly meant to resemble hands and feet. Sharpened edges of wood awaited at the end of the creature's claws, reminding me of the tip of my spear. The roots continued upwards and formed into a grossly malformed head, with misshapen blades of bark ending at the top. The roots caved in where the creature's mouth should have been, leading inwards to a gaping maw filled with artificial teeth.

The creature's eyes followed a similar display, minus the teeth. Small, hollowed-out holes, making me wonder if the monster could actually see anything at all. They glowed with a ghastly green glow, which seemed to brighten as the creature spotted us. If I looked closely, the glow was also apparent all around the creature, hidden away under the overgrown bark of the body, the arms and the legs.

One of its arms was disproportionate. Heavily dwarfed by the opposite arm, whose hand was nearly the size of the monster's head. The roots seemed to disappear on the back of the hand, giving way to the green glow that I had spotted earlier.

I wouldn't have noticed the hand, however, if it wasn't currently speeding towards me at an alarming speed. I widened my eyes as an unbridled amount of solid lumber was sent hurtling towards my face. I raised my spear in meek defence, quietly noting how this one hadn't even lasted for more than two hours.

An odd sound, like cutting, broke through. I looked up to see that the monster's hand was being held back by something. I followed the metal edges of the blade and saw Val standing next to me.

"Get out of the way, Scribe!" He yelled.

I did as he asked, and quickly back-stepped my way out of the monster's range. Val did the same, sending the giant hand of the beast crashing into the ground where I was standing three seconds ago.

"T-That..." I said slowly. "...That was close..."

"Indeed. Good thing that I was standing next to you." Val replied. "So, did you notice anything?"

I remembered my role, and went about telling him about what I saw.

"That giant hand." I said, motioning to the monster. "It's got an opening to that weird green glow inside of it."

"You think that might be a weak point?" He asked. "It's a Treant. A mutated one, at that. If I recall correctly, the glow is what's animating the creature in the first place."

"A Treant..." I muttered. "So, hit the green stuff, right?"

"Yes." He clarified. "You should probably retreat, Scribe."

I heeded Val's advice, and promptly began distancing myself from the Treant while Val continued to clash with it. I couldn't help but feel a little pathetic watching him offsetting the monster's horrifically powerful attacks without breaking so much as a sweat.

I barely noticed it when I heard a distinct sound coming from behind me. Just before I turned my head to look, a small projectile cut through the air a few centimetres from my head. I flinched, before watching the projectile embed itself in the Treant's hand, giving Val some much-needed leeway. The monster reared back, clearly disoriented by the blow. It didn't look like hitting the outside of it actually did any damage. Val had landed countless blows against the Treant's body, but none of them were fazing the creature.

I turned my head. As expected, the one who had fired the projectile was Artina. The barrel on her firearm leaked steam into the air. Whatever she shot from that thing, it certainly did some damage to the Treant. I made my way over to her, seeing as she was a safe distance away from the monster in question.

"You're, uh..." I started. "Y-You're pretty accurate with that thing..."

"Of course I am." She replied. "If I wasn't, I wouldn't have shot it past your head."

I got the distinct notion that the ever-looming threat of the Treant was the least of my worries. I'd had closer brushes with death when I got catapulted across an entire room by Fuka.

"You did some damage to it..." I observed.

"Only a little." She replied modestly. "The armour's too thick for anyone else to get through."

Indeed, it appeared that everyone was whaling on the Treant considerably, but no visible damage was apparent apart from a few sticks of bark that had been chopped off. The size of it meant that whittling it down wasn't really an option.

I realized that Fuka wasn't among those currently fighting the Treant. In fact, she was relatively close by, brandishing her baseball bat menacingly.

"I think I might have an idea..." I muttered. "Hey! Fuka!"

The Un-Prinny acknowledged my calls, and quickly jogged over to where me and Artina were standing.

"What do you want?" She asked. "I was trying to think of a way to get through that overgrown tree's armour."

"That's what I was trying to do." I replied. "I have a plan. But I'm going to need you for it."

"Hm. Depends on what you want me to do."

"You've got some pretty impressive strength." I stated. "You threw a Minotaur through the air."

"Your point being?"

"If you did that to the Treant, you could break some of its armour off." I explained. "Maybe expose some of that green stuff, too."

"...Well, anything's worth a shot, I guess." She replied, pulling her bat down from her shoulder.

She turned to face the Treant, who was more than occupied with Emizel, Fenrich, Desco and Val to consider her presence. She turned her head towards me and gave me a thumbs-up. I returned the gesture.

She took off, moving towards the Treant with an alarming amount of agility. Val seemed to take note of Fuka's advances, and moved out of the way to allow her a straight path to the monster.

She drew her bat along the ground, coming to a sudden stop when she was close enough to the Treant. With a yell, she used the momentum to swing the bat ferociously at the Treant.

I heard that awful piercing noise that she did when she fought the Minotaur. The strike sent the bat flying through the chest of the creature, flaying a large amount of bark from the bottom up at the same time. The bright green aura underneath the Treant grew even more intense as it regained its balance from the blow.

The party were just about to launch an all-out attack on the Treant, leaving them quite surprised when their weapons struck fresh air. The beast hadn't regained its balance at all. It had thrown itself forward using the momentum from Fuka's blow to dash forward. The only problem being that it wasn't an attempt to dodge the party's attacks.

It was now heading straight towards me.

It moved with an unnatural speed, surpassing even that of Fuka's when she attacked. Artina had relocated to a more advantageous position while my plan was underway, leaving her completely exposed to the guarded back of the Treant when it made a dash towards me.

The ground thundered horribly beneath the Treant's feet. With every step, it came considerably closer to where I was standing. It was a similar feeling to when the Minotaur attacked me yesterday. Only this time, I had a means of defending myself.

The green core of the Treant's chest was completely exposed to me. I didn't have a lot of time to react; maybe a second or two before the Treant completely crushed me. I grasped the hilt of my new spear tightly, staying calm and waiting for the right moment. I drew the spear back into a position where I could thrust it into whatever was in front of me.

I heard a few people calling my name. Particularly Fuka, who seemed rather shocked by the new development. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she almost looked scared.

"I hope this works..." I said to myself.

Just as the Treant raised an arm to swipe at me. I took a large step forward and thrust the spear as hard as I possibly could towards the Treant's chest. The remaining roots and bark that protected the green light were surprisingly easy to break through. I felt the spear hit a wall, indicating that it had gone straight through the monster's body.

I almost dropped my spear then and began to celebrate. Well, I would have done that, if the sudden attack didn't do little to deter the Treant's momentum. The punch that it had lined up still came thundering towards me, and I didn't have enough time to pull the spear out to defend myself.

I closed my eyes tightly.

Everything appeared to go black for a second. An unwelcome pulsing in my brain was informing me that something had happened that shouldn't have happened. Namely, a Treant's body-sized fist driving into every bone in my body. I let out a silent yell as I felt my body leave the ground.

A few seconds later, and my body collided with the ground painfully. Already, I could feel a few things that were out of place. I didn't appear to suffer any serious damage to my head, which was nice, considering that I was still capable of cohesive thought.

Everything hurt. It reminded me of when I first arrived in Hades, albeit about ten times worse.

I used what little strength remained in my arms to push myself into a sitting position.

The Treant was dead. Or expelled. Or whatever you wanted to call it. The unearthly glow had disappeared from its body, leaving the creature nothing more than a glorified tree. My spear was still lodged into the centre of it.

I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding. My lungs heaved painfully. Some of the Treant's sharp roots snagged me when I was attacked, leaving a few cuts across my chest area. Realistically, I should've fallen unconscious, or at least fallen into shock, but I felt surprisingly able to move around, if you didn't consider the immense pain I was in.

"Scribe!"

I heard Fuka's voice. I could see her running towards me at the end of my peripheral vision. I half-expected her to think I was dead when she saw me. Perhaps she would embrace me and weep about how much of a good friend I was, if only for a short while.

She did quite the opposite. Upon seeing that I was still very much alive, she knelt down by my side and raised her hand in the air. She brought it down on my cheek with as much strength as she could muster.

"...Eh?" I muttered. "W-Why'd you do that?"

"You idiot!" She yelled. "Don't ever do something like that again! You nearly had me worried for a second!"

"Hey, you can't blame me if it decided to charge at me." I responded. "I dealt with it."

"I don't care if you dealt with it!" She yelled. "Look how messed up you are!"

"A few cuts and bruises." I summarised. "Maybe a ruptured organ or two."

Val had taken the liberty of strolling over while me and Fuka were talking.

"Fantastic work, Scribe." He commended. "Apart from the injuries, you handled that situation flawlessly."

"Yeah..." I muttered. "Shouldn't I go to a hospital for this?"

"I wouldn't worry too much about it."

"...Why not?"

"You landed the killing blow on the Treant." He explained. "You reaped most of the benefits for yourself."

Fuka said something similar when I killed the spirits. When a monster is destroyed, some of its power is transferred to the killer. It's how she became so strong in the first place. So, by killing the Treant (Or, at least, landing the final attack on the Treant), I had managed to take most of its power for myself.

I didn't particularly feel anything when I took care of the spirits. I was a little more observant, sure, but I certainly wasn't any stronger. This, however, was a different case. It was a hard feeling to describe. Ordinarily, a human is supposed to become stronger slowly over time via training or what have you. Such a large surge of power was hard to deal with. I suddenly felt able to do a lot more than I could previously.

That might also be the reason why the Treant hadn't just reduced me to dust with that punch. I felt stronger on the outside too. Already, the pain from my wounds was beginning to gradually fade.

I picked myself up from the ground, dusting down a thick layer of soot from my clothes.

"...I was pretty close to dying, huh?" I muttered.

"Indeed." Val responded. "If you hadn't stopped the Treant there, I could only imagine what it would have done to you."

Fuka held out a hand before me. In it, the slightly-damaged form of my spear appeared. She must have gone to fetch it whilst I was chatting to Val. I muttered my thanks and returned the weapon to my own personal mind-dimension.

"So, what happens now?" I asked.

"I imagine the town will pay handsomely for the eradication of that monster." Val replied. "More funds couldn't possibly hurt."

He turned to address the rest of the party.

"Well done everyone. You performed admirably." He said. "You should all head back to the mansion for some well-deserved rest."

It only just struck me how short that battle actually was. Despite the size of the Treant, we couldn't have been clashing for more than about ten minutes. I had the distinct hunch that it was still what was constituted as late afternoon in Hades, although it was hard to estimate, given the lack of a sun.

Fuka patted me on the back a few times to get my attention.

"Let's go." She said. "I'm pretty hungry."

Just as she mentioned the prospect of food, I felt my stomach rumble unpleasantly. I hadn't eaten anything since I had arrived in Hades. I wasn't aware that we even had to eat. I cast my head downward as a light blush made its way onto my cheeks.

"Heh. I thought I'd get that reactions from you." She chuckled. "You haven't eaten for as long as I have."

"I thought we didn't have to eat." I replied. "Being dead, and all."

"We're still humans, you know." She said.

"Definitely doesn't feel that way..." I responded.

"Ah. You levelled up a bunch from the Treant, right?" She asked. "How's it feel?"

"You should know. Didn't you go through this before I did?"

"Yeah, but I never killed a Treant when I first arrived here."

In short, she hadn't experienced the same surge of power as me. She had slowly worked her way up to being strong, instead of seeking out powerful enemies to kill.

"It feels unnatural." I summarised. "In a good way, though. It feels like I can do a lot more."

"At least now you aren't going to be completely useless."

"I-I held my ground during that fight..."

"You got punched." She said. "By a walking tree."

"I killed it, didn't I?"

"But you got punched..." She repeated, snickering. "By. A. Tree."

She drew out each word, highlighting the ridiculousness of the fact that I had just had the wind knocked out of me by a walking pile of wood.

"Come on." She said with a smile. "Let's go get something to eat."

* * *

Imagine my surprise when Hades didn't have its own brand of horrifically disgusting foodstuffs. With the nature of the place, you'd imagine something like human heads or lava cakes made with real lava to be part of the local cuisine.

There were a few things that, if served on Earth, would probably raise a few eyebrows. Things like 'Rooster blood' and 'Snake kidneys' were evenly distributed among regular choices such as sweets and cakes, including one out-of-place brand of vegetarian burger. I recognised a few drinks that appeared to be human brands. Perhaps the line between Hades and Earth wasn't so thin after all.

We had taken the liberty of dropping by the local hospital to assess my wounds. Unbeknownst to myself, most of the more major bruises and scratches had simply disappeared entirely. We were still charged for the treatment of any minor injuries I had, the worst of which being a broken rib, which was to be expected after being punched by a creature of that size.

I was broken out of my thoughts by Fuka shoving something rather harshly into my stomach. I grabbed whatever she had gotten me, which turned out to be a soft drink and a small, yellow cake molded into what appeared to be a small fish.

"...What's this?" I asked.

"Taiyaki." She stated plainly. "Try it."

I took the so-called 'Taiyaki' and brought it to my mouth. It tasted like an ordinary pastry, although it was filled with something sweet. I had absolutely no idea what it was, but it was nice, so I kept eating it.

"Thanks." I said after finishing the cake. "Hope that didn't cost you too much."

"Don't worry about it. We're pretty wealthy, thanks to all the stuff we've done."

"...What's the currency here, anyway?" I asked. "I saw you handing over a few gold coins when you were getting the food."

"Oh, you mean this?" She asked, reaching into a jacket pocket and retrieving a few of the coins in question. "Hell. It's the currency of the Netherworld."

"That isn't a very pleasant name..."

"Hades isn't a very pleasant place." She retorted.

"I don't know about that..." I replied. "The taiyaki was pretty good..."

"Try and name something else good about this place."

"...You, I guess."

"E-Eh!?" She exclaimed. "W-What're you saying?"

"Well, I mean, I've lost track of the amount of times that you've saved my life." I explained. "If you hadn't attacked the Treant, then I'd have been killed."

Fuka's attack cleared away most of the Treant's chest. It left me with a pretty good target to shove my spear through. I couldn't possibly have mustered up the strength to kill it if she hadn't done that. Yet again, I found myself in some serious debt to Fuka.

"Oh..." She muttered, crossing her arms. "Y-Yeah! I knew that already!"

"Thanks for that."

"...Y-You idiot!" She yelled. "Didn't I tell you to stop apologising!?"

I smiled a little. She clearly wasn't used to being thanked as much as this. Obviously, no-one else in the group needed as much saving as frequently as I did. It was almost enjoyable to hear Fuka telling me to stop expressing my gratitude.

"What're you smiling at?" She asked.

"Nothing much." I answered. "I was just thinking about how cute you look when you're angry."

...

Oh dear. That came out wrong.

Something gripped me. Not physically, but more like a push in my mind that flung me in a particular direction. I found myself taking a step back, much quicker than I was expecting. My eyes widened as the blurred image of something bolted straight past my head, hitting the side of a nearby building and bouncing off, before landing on the ground. I recognised the object as Fuka's bat, which she had obviously taken to throwing at me thanks to my poor choice of words.

My thoughts, however, were not drawn to the fact that Fuka had nearly ended my life for the second time today, but were more focused on how in the world I managed to dodge the bat. I quickly took another step forward, at the risk of losing my balance.

"S-Sorry about that." I said, believing that an apology was the most appropriate action.

Fuka was bright red. Her hands were placed behind her back. She didn't even seem to pay attention to the fact that I had just brushed past another encounter with Death himself.

"C-Cute..." She muttered slowly.

"Hey, it was a spur-of-the-moment type thing, alright?" I backtracked. "I-I didn't mean it in a weird way."

Fuka reached up to her head, retrieved the Prinny cap that she was wearing, and proceeded to place it over her own face. The cap did a good job of hiding her full-face blush.

I scratched the back of my head.

"We should head back to the mansion." I said. "It's getting late. I think."

Fuka simply nodded her head in meek response, keeping the cap hovered over her face.

She seemed to handle navigating through the town by herself rather well, despite her visual impairment. I noticed a few strange looks from some of the demons wandering around the town while I was dragging my accomplice in death back to Val's mansion. I stopped attempting to coax Fuka out of her shell after she had reacted rather violently to anything I happened to say. Needless to say, it was an awkward trip.

* * *

Even through the snaking corridors of the mansion, Fuka still appeared to know where she was going, despite the visual impairment created when she began to hold a hat over her face. I would've followed her to make sure she was alright, if someone else hadn't already made their presence apparent.

"Hey, dude."

I swung around to see Emizel with his back against the wall, his hands dug into his pockets as per usual.

"Hey." I replied. Fuka kept walking when I stopped to chat with Emizel.

"What's wrong with her?" He asked, staring at Fuka as she vanished around a corner.

"...I complimented her. Accidentally."

"What'd you say?"

"Well..." I paused. "...I said she was cute."

"Shouldn't have been flirting with her in the first place, man."

"I-I wasn't doing anything of the sort!" I yelled. "It just... slipped out."

"Sure. Whatever you say, Scribe." He replied calmly. "Don't count on me being your wingman or anything."

"Even if I did need one, I wouldn't ask you..."

"Ouch." He said. "Excuse me for trying to help a bro in need."

"I'm flattered that you consider me a 'bro' even though you've only known me for less than a day..."

"Hey, you're the only guy who isn't as scary as Fenrich or as crazy as Valvatorez." He replied.

"Right..." I said. "It was nice talking to you, Emizel."

"I mean, if I was going for anyone, then it'd probably be Artina..."

I ignored that statement and walked in the direction than Fuka had wandered off to. I barely knew the mansion's layout, myself, but I could recognize the route from the living room to my bedroom quite easily. I saw Fenrich and Val talking about something in the living room and passed by them. The others were probably resting from the fight with the Treant.

I wondered what time it was. Considering the amount of hours it had passed since I had ever-so-foolishly dropped out of the bed this morning, it must have been around midnight by the time I was heading back to the bedroom.

Thank goodness there wasn't anyone else apart from Fenrich, Val and Fuka living in the mansion, otherwise I would have disturbed quite a few of the residents trying to remember which door was the correct one. I must have gone through about six or seven old, dusty rooms before finally opening the correct door.

I moved to the right of the doorway almost instantly, flinching as another one of Fuka's projectiles flew past my face at a near-terminal velocity. The impact of the baseball bat against the wall opposite sent a reverberating clang through the halls of the mansion.

"Sorry." I apologised into the doorway.

"Leave me alone!" I heard Fuka yell. "Idiot! Pervert!"

I moved into the room. Fuka had, thankfully, removed the cap from her face, and simply settled for facing away from me on the bed.

"...Sorry." I apologised for the second time. "Slip of the tongue."

"Stop apologising!" She yelled. "How many times have I told you to stop doing that!?"

"I don't really know what else I'm supposed to do..."

Fuka picked herself up from the bed and turned to face me. She didn't look too pleased with me.

"...You really are hopeless. You know that, right?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you're weird." She elaborated. "I don't know how you can just blurt out embarrassing stuff randomly. And in public, too..."

"I was daydreaming."

"You must've been thinking about some weird stuff to just say something like that to me..."

"I never expected that kind of reaction." I replied. "You didn't strike me as someone who would get embarrassed so easily."

"I-I wasn't embarrassed!" She yelled defiantly.

"I could practically see you blushing through the hat." I said. "It's not my fault if I'm such a charming individual."

"Don't flatter yourself." She replied. "You... you just caught me when my guard was down, is all..."

I decided to change the subject.

"What time is it, anyway?"

"There's a clock, genius."

Fuka motioned to the clock on the wall. It was nearing 1:00am. Time seemed to go by awfully fast in Hades. I wasn't sure if that was due to the nature of the place, or because I had spent too much of my day being involved in severely life-threatening scenarios.

I was tired. I had enough adrenaline pumping through my veins to keep me awake for the entire day, but I was starting to feel the fatigue from everything that had transpired since I woke up.

"So, am I sleeping on the floor, or...?"

"Humph!" She pouted noisily, folding her arms. "After what you did, you're lucky I'm not throwing you outside!"

"So..." I replied slowly. "The floor, right?"

"W-Well..." She began. "S-Since I'm such a generous person, I'll let you sleep in the bed..."

"Alright. Cool." I said, walking over to the opposite end of the bed and lifting the covers to get in.

"A-And don't you dare think about moving over to my side, or I'll kill you!"

"Weren't you the one who forced me off the bed in the morning?" I asked. "I should be the one telling you to stay away from me."

"S-Shut up!" She yelled. "It's your fault for falling off!"

I didn't bother responding to Fuka's outbursts. If anything, she was right in that I could have simply moved out of the bed, rather than landing face-first on the floor, and making myself look like and idiot in doing so.

I took off my Prinny cap, deciding that it would probably constitute towards common sense to sleep without a hat on.

"Uwah... your hair really does look different when you take that off."

Fuka's observation was accompanied by a few strands of black strands falling over my face. Whatever shape my hair had molded into beneath the cap was beyond my interest, but it certainly wasn't in the mood to cooperate with me in staying out of my face.

"Stop looking at me." I said, spotting Fuka staring at the edge of my peripheral vision.

"Don't blame me if your hair draws attention." She replied. "I haven't seen many boys with long hair."

"Emizel's hair is kind of long."

"Yeah, but Emizel's not a human."

"Hm. You have a point."

A few minutes of silence passed between us.

"Hey..." Fuka said. "Don't you remember anything before you came to Hades?"

"Quite a personal question." I noted. "What's gotten you so interested?"

"W-Well, if you're going to repay your debt to me, then I might as well know a little more about you..."

"...I don't remember much apart from my personal details, like my name and stuff."

"Doesn't that get weird?"

"Heh. It almost sounds like you're trying to be friendly." I said. "Is this what they call a 'pillow talk'?" I asked.

"H-Hey! T-That term can mean something else, you know..."

"Don't worry. I'm well-away from your side of the bed."

"Stop saying creepy stuff and answer the question."

"...It doesn't feel weird." I answered. "It just feels like this has been my life all along."

"Even though you've only been here for two days...?"

"Hey, I've accomplished more than I thought I was capable of doing in those two days."

"...You dodged by bat earlier." She said. "I was actually trying to hit you that time."

"I thought it was luck." I replied. "But it was almost as if I could sense you when you were trying to throw the bat at me."

"I felt pretty awesome when I started to become powerful, too."

"Powerful? I've been here for two days."

"And you killed the Treant. You kind of broke the system with that."

"...So, you do measure the levels or something?"

"Yup. Everyone apart from Valzy is around level two-thousand."

"T-Two-thousand..." I muttered. "What level do you think I am?"

"You were level one when you came here." She said. "When you killed the Treant, you probably went up a couple hundred."

"Still pretty far off from you guys, then..."

"Yeah. So don't say any more embarrassing stuff, or I'll beat you up."

"It slipped out."

"Whatever!" She shouted. "Go to sleep!"

It was hard to sleep when I was almost dangling off the edge of the bed. If I did so much as touch Fuka, she'd probably kill me, and considering what happened this morning, I was ready to take any precaution available.

Just as I was about to fall asleep, I heard Fuka muttering something incoherent.

"...Did you say something?"

"No." She stated frankly.

I shrugged my shoulders and went back to falling asleep. It wasn't long before the fatigue of the day caught up with me, and within a few minutes, I was resting soundly while half of my body was dangling over the edge of the bed.

"...C-Cute..." Fuka mumbled, quiet enough for only her to hear. "He said I was cute..."

* * *

"Fantastic work on the Treant, Master Valvatorez." Fenrich commended.

"It was a rather large success." Val replied. "Although I certainly wasn't expecting the new Un-Prinny to land the killing blow."

"It gave him some much-needed power, my lord."

"I suppose you're correct. At least he didn't get himself killed."

"He appears to do a good job of keeping Miss Fuka under control when he's around."

"Yes. It makes a nice change from her constant hassling."

"Do you have anything planned for tomorrow, my lord?"

"Most of the party have disbanded to recuperate. I will be doing the same."

"Understood..." Fenrich replied humbly. "...Do you know if Scribe managed to make it back to his room?"

"I heard something loud down the hallway some time ago." Val responded. "It was probably miss Fuka reacting violently to his unwanted entry again."

"...I still think we should give him his own room."

"If he survives past the first week, then I might consider it."


	3. Maliciousness

Just imagine a situation where you were dropped into a rendition of Hell so utterly picturesque that it could have been thought up by a child. Black, soot-infested cliffs and glowing lava flows wherever the eye turned. Horrific abominations and fairytale picture-book monsters that roamed the streets nonchalantly, doing jobs and catering to the needs of their households, perhaps even supporting a family.

Imagine narrowly escaping death, practically brushing your neck against the Grim Reaper's scythe as a young girl single-handedly sends your intimidating assailant spiralling into the air with a single blow. All of a sudden, you're being dragged by the neck through an overcompensating mansion, being told very blankly that you've just died, and have had the unfortunate fate of having your soul stitched into the body of a demon-penguin. You're then praised for your luck thanks to the lack of these demon-penguins being manufactured, and are promptly inducted into the most powerful group of individuals in the hellscape that you now refer to as 'Hades'.

Imagine keeping your cool throughout this. Keeping a firm grip on your sanity as all of this nonsense is running through your head. I, personally, don't believe that many people would still be capable of coherent thought after what I had been through. And yet, here I am, more physically damaged than mentally, and still managing to keep a smile on my face whenever needed.

Because of this, I've labelled myself as a rather mentally resilient individual.

But if that was true, then I wouldn't be particularly bothered by the fact that Fuka, the girl who had saved me from death multiple times and whom I owed a debt of epic proportions to, had such a hard time staying on her side of the bed.

In a similar fashion to the morning of yesterday, I found myself in a rather awkward predicament. Fuka had ever-so-unwittingly moved over from her side of the bed, and was currently pressed up against my back. Moving over wasn't really a choice, considering that half of my body was currently hanging over the edge of the bed; a precaution that I had taken to make sure that this very scenario would not occur a second time.

Lo and behold, my worst nightmares became reality, and I was once again extremely close to my face making very good friends with the floor. I could hear Fuka's breathing quite audibly from behind me, and the whole situation was making me rather uncomfortable.

I could spot the clock on the wall at the edge of my peripheral vision. It was late morning, and the day (or rather, the complete lack of one) wasn't going to slow down simply because I couldn't get out of bed.

Little did I know, the solution to my problems was about to make its entrance in the coming seconds. I heard the door to the bedroom open from behind me. I turned my head as far around as my body would allow, resigning any thought of bodily movement as it would most likely worsen my situation with Fuka.

"Hello?" I heard a feminine voice say. "Scribe? Fuka?"

It was Artina. She made her way rather robustly into the room and quite promptly laid her eyes on the scene before her. I, who was almost certainly awake and making it extremely apparent that I was very uncomfortable in this position, was being unconsciously harassed by Fuka, who was quite obviously asleep. There was, within reason, absolutely no way in which this situation could be interpreted as compromising.

"...You're very bold, Scribe." Artina said, taking a few steps back. "Please put a sign up next time."

And, with that, she quickened her pace and left the room, slamming the door loudly. She left so quickly that I didn't even manage to get a word in before I heard her scurrying back down the corridor.

Something shifted next to me. The ruckus seemed to have disturbed Fuka's unusually deep sleep. I didn't have any time to move, and, being a purveyor of reasonable and tactical thoughts, I quickly resumed my sleeping position and closed my eyes. If Fuka thought that I was asleep through the whole ordeal, then perhaps I would still be able to leave the room with a few limbs intact.

I slowed my breath and listened patiently. I heard some shuffling around, which probably meant that she was raising herself up from the bed. She hadn't noticed me yet, which was both a good thing and a bad thing. That was, until she appeared to notice that her person was noticeably biased towards one side of the bed. I assumed this from the near-inaudible yelp that she let out, assumingly when she had noticed that I was right next to her.

"U-Uhm..." She muttered quietly. "S-Scribe?"

I continued my charade and kept my eyes closed. I was starting to find it quite difficult to control my breathing rate. I was waiting for Fuka to move over to her side of the bed. Everything was silent for about a minute, and I was about to open an eye to check the situation when Fuka said something else, this time appearing even closer than she was before.

"...Should I wake him up?"

I was about to wake up myself. Or, at least, pretend to wake up so I wouldn't look suspicious.

"...I guess he had a long day yesterday." She said.

As she said that, Fuka laid back down, not bothering to return to her side of the bed and instead staying close to my back. I decided enough was enough, and shuffled slightly. Fuka seemed to take notice of this, and quickly scampered back to her side of the bed. I let out a groan at finally having an excuse to wake up and picked myself up from the bed, rubbing my eyes groggily.

"Mornin'..." I said slowly.

"U-Uh... yeah." Fuka replied. "Good morning."

"...Did something happen?" I asked. "You're all red."

"N-No..." She said. "Nothing happened."

"Hm. Fair enough."

I got out of the bed and retrieved the cap that I had put down last night, placing it back on my head. It dawned on me that I didn't actually have anything to do today. I wondered what Artina could have wanted us for.

"Got any plans for today?" I asked.

"Yeah." She responded. "We're gonna see how powerful you are after you killed the Treant."

"More training?" I said. "I think I've seen my fair share of death for one lifetime."

"Welcome to Hades, Scribe." She replied, getting out of the bed.

"Also, Artina was in here a few minutes ago. I think she wanted something."

"You think? Didn't she tell you?"

"She left because you were snuggling up to me." I replied. "I guess she didn't want to disturb you."

"I was- no, wait-" Fuka stuttered. "So you WERE awake!"

"Yeah. Try and keep your hands to yourself next time, alright?"

"P-Pervert!"

The woodwork behind me crunched horribly as Fuka's bat went soaring past my head.

"I think you'll need to come up with a better offensive tactic..." I mumbled. "Seems like I can dodge that now."

Fuka's look of anger quickly morphed into a sadistic smile.

"You're starting to piss me off, Scribe..."

I held up my hands.

"Please don't kill me."

As much as I hated to admit it, Fuka was astronomically stronger than I was. I wouldn't put it past her to simply reduce me to a pile of ashes on the floor if she so desired.

"Pfft... as if I'd waste my time on you." She said. "...But I guess we'd better go see Artina to see what she wanted."

Another close scrape with death. I was getting pretty good at this.

We both headed into the hallway. Artina wasn't anywhere to be seen, so she must have retreated to the living room. Valvatorez and Fenrich were probably there, too.

"Hopefully, we haven't been tasked with tackling another eldritch horror..." I remarked.

"I doubt it. We only get those requests once a week or so." Fuka replied.

"I don't think I'll be able to survive doing that once a week..."

"Don't worry. I'll be giving you harsh training until you're at our level."

"Sounds lovely..."

We talked about this as we approached the living room. Sure enough, Artina, Val and Fenrich were conversing in the centre of the room. It hadn't occurred to me up until this point that nobody actually seemed to utilise the chairs scattered around the room.

"Ah, good morning, you two." Valvatorez greeted us as we walked into the room.

"Mornin'." I greeted back.

"I've been meaning to explain something to you for quite some time, Scribe." He continued. "I asked Artina if she could wake you both up, but she hasn't said a word since she came back."

Artina stared at me with what seemed like a great deal of prejudice. I assumed it had something to do with the misunderstanding that she had walked in on.

"Right..." I muttered. "So what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"First of all, you aren't very well-informed about Hades. If you have any questions, then I'd be happy to answer them."

"Not really." I replied. "I think I understand how this place works."

"I was referring to us specifically." He corrected himself. "The Hades party, as we're frequently called."

"I guess I don't know much about you guys." I replied. "I'm not really sure why we had to kill that Treant in the first place. Couldn't a stronger group of demons do it?"

"That's the thing." Val answered. "There aren't any stronger demons."

"...Wait, really?" I asked, surprised. "Then that means..."

He nodded. "We are the strongest collection of individuals in Hades."

I recalled what Fuka said. Something about them being responsible for clearing up most of Hades' problems. Then again, the strongest demons in the Netherworld? What feelings of insecurity I had about my strength had suddenly increased tenfold.

"I've got a ton of catching up to do..." I muttered.

"To be perfectly honest, I'm surprised you aren't dead already."

"That isn't helping, you know!"

"And, as such, it's important that you bring yourself up to our level as quickly as possible."

"How long did that take you?" I asked.

"Hm..." Val contemplated. "Fenrich, how old am I?"

"Two thousand, five hundred and forty two years old, my lord." Fenrich responded with grace.

"...Eh?" I questioned. "Don't tell me Fuka's that old as well..."

"No. Of course not." He replied. "If you don't mind me asking, miss Fuka, how old are you?"

"Huh... depends on how long I've been in Hades." Fuka answered.

"It's been about two years since we first added you to the party."

"Really? I can't believe I've been stuck with you people for two years..." She said heartlessly, folding her arms. "...That'd make me seventeen."

"Ah. You're the same age as me, then." I chipped in. "When's your birthday?"

"March."

"Mine's in May." I replied. "That makes me older than you."

"S-Shut up!" She retaliated. "What's age got to do with this, anyway?"

"You're pretty strong." I explained. "And it took you two years to get to that point."

"Two years is far too long." Val pointed out. "I don't want anyone finding out that we've been recruiting less-than-adequate members into the Hades party."

"...Is there any way to speed the levelling process up?" I asked cautiously.

"Of course." He responded enthusiastically. "There's nothing stopping you from taking on demons that are far beyond your skill level. Do that, and you'll be on our level in no time at all."

"That seems like a rather dangerous approach..."

"Dangerous, but extremely effective." He corrected. "Miss Fuka, I imagine you planned on training Scribe today?"

"Yeah. Seemed like the quickest way to level him up."

"Take a look at this." Val said.

He tossed a sheet of paper in Fuka's direction, which she snapped out of the air with a terrifying level of precision.

Scrawled onto the paper were crude depictions of what appeared to be stout humanoid creatures wearing black, pointy hats and wielding large weapons menacingly. I'd never seen anything like it in Hades before.

"A group of Orcs." Fuka deducted. "So what?"

"An incredibly high-level group of Orcs." Val corrected. "A bandit group that takes pleasure in robbing lone demons of their purses in the dead of night."

"You want us to clear them out?"

"Specifically, I want Scribe to clear them out." He clarified. "Although I want you to accompany him in case something goes wrong."

"I don't remember agreeing to any of this..." I muttered in protest.

"Tough luck. We're going." Fuka commanded. "It'll be a good excuse for you to train."

I couldn't exactly deny it if Fuka told me to do it. I owed her my life several times over, after all. The 'Orcs' didn't seem particularly intimidating, although the same could be said for Fuka, and I'd witnessed her sending a Minotaur through the sky with a single blow.

"Where are they?" She asked.

"They've set up a base of operations in a low-level demon area. The one you found Scribe in." Val explained. "There should be a small alcove located somewhere nearby, almost like a cave of sorts. That's where you'll find them."

I scratched my head. There weren't any walls around the area where I first arrived in Hades, so I couldn't imagine there being any caves around. Still, there were still a ton of things I didn't know about this place, so maybe I was wrong.

"I apologise for sending you out on such an errand after our battle with the Treant." Val said. "But it's vital that Scribe becomes as powerful as possible before someone notices."

"What's wrong with people noticing?"

"People will think that we've softened up, recruiting such a weak member." He explained. "We don't need any more opposing parties than we have right now."

"Makes sense, I guess." Fuka said. "C'mon, Scribe. We'd better get this over with."

"Alright..." I muttered objectively. "Lead the way."

* * *

"Brings back a lot of memories, doesn't it?"

Fuka said that after we had travelled a fair distance away from the town. We had arrived back at the location where I first found myself stranded in this strange interpretation of hell. It was situated at the top of a small hill, so I had quite the view from where I was sitting.

"It was two days ago." I replied. "So, no. Not really."

I looked off into the distance. I took note of the giant spire that I noticed when I had first arrived. A huge mountain of blackened rock, atop which a single residence stood tall, with faces of what appeared to be screaming humans carved into the rock at a ridiculous scale. Hot magma poured out from several openings in the mountain. Even from here, I couldn't see a way in which the spire could be climbed. Several bright lights poured out from the mansion at the tip. I decided to ask about it.

"What's up with that mountain over there?" I asked. I didn't need to motion to it for Fuka to get what I was on about.

"It's kind of like a political hotspot for Hades." She explained. "I think, anyway. I don't like politics, so I've never really looked into it too much."

"How do you get up to it?"

"Powerful demons have access to cool stuff, like teleportation." She replied. "People like Valzy."

"What about the whole 'people crying tears of lava' deal?"

"It's for effect." She answered, as if it was completely obvious. "It's Hades, Scribe."

Hades or not, the imagery was still pretty disturbing. It gave me a pretty good idea of how lenient Hades was when it came to violence. Val even mentioned something about places of power being taken through things like duels and whatnot. It was a pretty dangerous place.

There were cliffs that rose up at the very edges of Hades. On top of them, a countless amount of houses and other buildings were cramped together uncomfortably. It almost looked like a town, albeit several times larger than the town where Val's mansion was, which was located in the middle of nowhere.

It was kind of pretty, honestly. The glow of the lava flows and the distant lights in the houses on the cliffs contrasted nicely with Hades' naturally drab look. Once you got past the bloodthirsty demons and the constant danger of being cooked alive by the lava, Hades was quite a nice place.

I'd been here a while, now. I was sitting down at the highest point on the hill, and simply examined the landscape while Fuka said something about scouting for any sort of cave. I was so engrossed in my own thoughts that I didn't even notice it when she sat down next to me and followed my eyes to wherever I was looking. I must've been there for about ten minutes, but she didn't even utter one word about hurrying up.

I got quite the surprise when I turned around to get a face-full of Fuka, where I nearly collapsed onto my back in fear of it being a demon or something else that planned to jump rope with my entrails.

"J-Jeez..." I muttered. "You scared me..."

"I was trying to figure out what you were looking at." She replied.

"...The scenery." I explained plainly. "You can see quite a lot from up here."

"Pfft. What's there to see?" She asked. "Nothing but lava and demons as far as the eye can see."

I didn't spot any demons, but Fuka was more perceptive than I was, so perhaps she saw something that I overlooked.

"I was looking at the houses and the lava." I said. "It looks kind of pretty after a while."

Looking like she thought she had missed something important, Fuka returned her eyes to the landscape. She turned her heads to the houses on the cliffs in the distance. I just thought it was nice how the lights shining through the windows made the cliff shine brightly. I was a sucker for pretty scenery, no matter how much of a hellscape it depicted.

"I guess it looks kinda nice after a while." She observed. "But it's still full of monsters at the end of the day."

"I'm just pointing out the pleasant sights." I replied. "It's not often you get to see pretty stuff after you die."

"Die?" She repeated. "Please don't tell me you believe in any of that stuff."

"Hm?" I inquired. "What do you mean?"

"You're not actually dead, stupid." She said, as if it was common knowledge. "This is all just a dream. A dream where we think we're dead."

There was definitive evidence to suggest that this was very much real life. The pain, the levelling, the longevity. It was all real. That much I was aware of. I was dead. That was something I had come to terms with ever since Val gave me the bad news. I couldn't believe that this was just some dream that I could wake up from.

"...Is that what you think this all is?" I asked nervously.

"I know it." She replied with confidence. "It's all just a dream. I'll wake up from it soon enough."

"That can't be right." I said. "Val said that you've been here for two years."

"You've never had a really long dream before?" She asked. "It's all a matter of time before I wake up."

I was an emotionally resilient individual. I could deal with being told simply that I was dead. But maybe Fuka wasn't as resilient as I thought she was. Is the whole 'dream' concept a coping mechanism to help her deal with the fact that she passed away? Or does she really believe that she's still alive and well on Earth? It wasn't true, that much I could assure you of. Sure, I couldn't remember how I died, but everything points towards this being the real deal.

Was that why Fuka could treat people so harshly and not be fazed about it? Is that all she viewed the other demons as? Just figments of her imagination? I gulped. Is that what she thought I was? Did she think that I was some fail-safe mechanism triggered in her mind to keep her company because she was getting too lonely in her 'dream'? I couldn't explain it in words, but that ticked me off to no extent.

"...I'm pretty sure this is real..." I muttered.

"Huh?"

"I can't remember how I died, but I won't deny that I was living at some point." I elaborated. "I died. And now I'm in hell. That's what happened to me."

"Whatever you say, Scribe..."

"...That's what happened to you, too..."

That seemed to strike something. For a second, Fuka's cap fell down almost on command, covering her face and shadowing a large portion of her eyes. She lowered her head slightly, and for a moment, I almost couldn't believe that I was staring at the same person. That wave of arrogance that she was constantly emanating suddenly melted away into something much more sinister.

"This isn't real." She said slowly. "It's all a dream."

It was less of a statement, and more of a command. To what, I had no idea, but it was obvious that I'd roused something in Fuka that was better left untouched. Silence reigned for the next few seconds.

And, like that, it was as if a switch was flipped. Her hat raised back up, her eyes started glowing with that awful arrogance, and I started breathing again. She stood up joyfully, as if nothing had happened, and stared at me with a bright smile.

"Let's go. I think I found the cave."

She took off after that, leaving me waiting on the small hill with a petrified expression of horror on my face. I'm not entirely sure what I managed to accomplish, but it certainly wasn't anything good, and I didn't have any motivation to say that kind of thing to Fuka ever again. For the split second that it happened, it almost as if she was going to legitimately murder me.

 _"I'll ask Val about it."_ I thought to myself. _"But I don't think I'll ever mention that to Fuka again..."_

* * *

It was less of a cave, and more of a tiny alcove situated in the sides of one of the nearby hills. Me and Fuka had taken up a position quite far away from it, assumingly so the occupants wouldn't be able to see us. I couldn't make out the figures well enough to see what they were doing, but Fuka was feeding me constant information on what the Orcs were up to.

"There are five of them." She said. "All of them are armed."

"What with?"

"Maces. Pretty dangerous." She answered. "To you, anyway."

I had my spear out already. I wasn't a pro on stabbing people with pointy sticks, but I was aware that being outnumbered by short, angry dudes with clubs probably wasn't very advantageous to my situation. Not that Fuka would let me walk away from this, so I didn't have much of a choice.

"So, what's the plan?" I asked.

"I thought you were just gonna run in with a war cry and murder them all."

"If I want to get killed, sure." I commented sarcastically. "Perhaps some negotiations are in order?"

"What do you mean?" She asked. "Hey, Scribe!-"

I had already stood up from my position, and had began strolling towards the alcove. It was probably better to let them know that I was coming, so that I could remain a safe distance away if they decided to jump me. Maybe I'd be able to walk away from this peacefully, and convince the Orcs that stealing wasn't the answer.

That probably wasn't going to happen. Right now, all I really wanted to do was distance myself as far as possible from Fuka, even if that meant facing certain death at the hands of some Orcs.

They must have seen me coming, as they were mobilising towards my position as soon as I got within a certain distance. It wasn't long before I was standing a few metres away from some tiny, club-wielding guys wearing funny hats. They didn't look too friendly.

"Hello." I greeted, raising a hand in the off-chance that they didn't talk.

"Who the hell are you?" The Orc in the middle asked.

"My name's Scribe." I responded calmly.

"That so?" He replied. "What's a human like you doing so far away from home?"

The Orc spoke in a nasally, high-pitched voice, and seemed to enjoy including some random snorting sounds in his sentences whenever he could. Maybe it was just a verbal tic that the Orcs had to deal with. Maybe I was just speaking to an idiot.

"I'm a Prinny." I explained. "Well... not really. I'm sort of a Prinny."

"A Prinny?" He repeated. "Where's your master?"

"Ah, well, you see, I don't actually have one, per se." I explained. "But I was sent here to deal with you guys by someone, so I guess he was my master."

"Deal with us?" He snorted. "We'd snap you like a twig, kid."

Val did mention something about them being high-level, so perhaps I should tread quite lightly when fisticuffs start getting involved. I turned my head to look behind me. Fuka seemed to be studying me intently. She smiled and gave me a thumbs-up.

"Any chance you guys are gonna stop stealing stuff from people?" I asked.

They didn't even dignify me with a response. I simply got a unanimous shake of the head from all five Orcs.

"We'll steal stuff from you, though." The Orc in the middle said. "Got anything on you?"

"Sorry. I left my wallet at home."

"Well, we can't exactly let you go home and send some other folks after us." He replied. "Get him, boys."

They all brandished their clubs threateningly at me. It didn't look like I had a lot of other options. I gripped the hilt of my spear tightly and took a few steps back from the group. I wasn't expecting the Orcs to be fast, which left me a little surprised when one of them suddenly leapt towards me and closed the distance between us immediately.

He raised his club high in the air, clearly meaning to bring it down on my head. I dodged to the left as a surprisingly powerful blow left a noticeable dent in the ground where I was standing. I didn't plan on the Orcs playing fair, and they were probably going to crowd me and use their numbers to overwhelm me.

I took a step forward and lunged my spear at the Orc who was still recovering from his attack. He seemed to see it coming, as he let go of his club and ducked under the tip. I quickly used my other hand to pull my spear back, and lunged once more. The tip went straight through the Orc's chest, and he quickly went up in a bright display of blue light.

"One down..." I muttered.

I turned around just in time to arc my spine backwards as another club was swung upwards at me. It passed my face by a few inches. I pulled my body back up and used the momentum to leap forward, lunging my spear forward and puncturing yet another Orc.

The remaining three had surrounded me in the time that it took me to get rid of the other two. After a few seconds, all three of them began sprinting towards me rapidly, raising their clubs up in the air. There wasn't any feasible way out that I could spot, meaning that I was about to take the brunt of three heavy maces to the face.

I could stop one of them, at least. Maybe two, if I was lucky. I knelt down as quickly as I possibly could and raised my hand. Once the Orc in front of me had reached a suitable distance, I swept my hand across the ground, disturbing the weird hell-dust that littered the ground and creating a small cloud of it. Thankfully, the Orc's size meant that it reached his eyes easily, and he quickly veered off-course after raising one hand to rub his eyes.

I turned my attention to the Orc rushing at me from behind and moved my hands to the top of the spear. Once he was close enough, I rammed the hilt back and sent him tumbling away from me. I still wasn't fast enough to deal with the Orc rushing at me from the left, who quickly took advantage of my vulnerability and sent his mace crashing into my side.

I groaned in pain as my body was thrown onto the ground from the force. It hurt, but not nearly as much as when the Treant hit me. I was quick to recover, and lunged at the Orc who had managed to attack me. He didn't see it coming, and my spear was sent through his abdomen.

"Two more..." I wheezed.

The Orc who I had dust-trapped was lying on the ground, rubbing his eyes frantically and cursing. I took the opportunity and sent him up in a blue light seconds later. There was only one Orc left, and he was in considerably better condition than the one I had incapacitated. I turned around and swung my spear in an arc-motion, and, in miraculous fashion, managed to catch the final Orc mid-jump.

He went out like the rest of his party, leaving me completely alone on the hill. I sighed heavily and collapsed onto my back, panting heavily. The exhaustion and the pain in my side gave me a good excuse to simply rest for a few moments.

A minute later, I spotted Fuka approaching from her hiding spot. She had a pretty wide smile on her face. Once she was standing over me, she offered a hand towards my exhausted figure. I allowed her to pull me up from the ground.

"Hey, that was pretty good." She commended. "That part with the dust was pretty intuitive."

"Thanks..." I replied breathlessly.

"To be honest, I didn't think you were going to be able to do it."

"As per usual, you have utmost confidence in me..."

"Coming from the guy who pretends to be asleep just so girls will touch him. You're lucky I give you any support at all."

"It's not my fault that you keep trying to cling onto me every morning."

"Why don't you just wake me up and tell me to move?" She asked.

"You'd probably kill me for waking you up."

"True. But at least I won't have to deal with your perverted ways."

"So I die either way..." I mumbled. "Seems a little unfair..."

"That's Hades for you." She stated, crossing her arms.

"...We should get back to Val." I suggested.

"Not yet." She replied. "I'm hungry. We should go get something to eat first."

"You're prioritising your stomach over one of the strongest demons in Hades?"

"I'd rather eat something than deal with that sardine-loving freak."

The fact that she could so easily badmouth Valvatorez was something I envied. If I said something like that about him, he'd probably obliterate me on the spot.

"...Lead the way." I said.

"Great! We'll go to the same place we ate yesterday." She said happily.

I followed her as she began walking back towards the town. It occurred to me on the way there that I was becoming progressively more well-acquainted with the norms of Hades. Not three minutes ago, I was surrounded by a group of Orcs who wanted to kill me, and I'd dispatched them all without a hint of remorse. Maybe fighting was something you just had to get used to when living in Hades.

Not to mention Fuka's malicious reaction to what my take was on her whole 'dream' scenario. My encounter with the Minotaur didn't even come close to the amount of fear that ran through my body when Fuka so easily dismissed my claims with two simple sentences. She didn't even seem to hold any grudge against me for it, despite the fact that I was clearly trespassing on some serious emotional ground.

It still made me angry just thinking about it. How she believed that nothing around her was real, despite the amount of time she's been here. What about her connection to Desco, or how she claims that she and the Hades party managed to save the world at some point? There were some serious discrepancies in her theory, some giant holes that she simply refused to acknowledge.

"Hey!" Fuka yelled. "You're lagging behind! Pick up the pace!"

Perhaps I was simply sticking my nose where it didn't belong. I hadn't even been here for a few days, and I didn't really have the right to bring up anything about Fuka's past that could trigger such a violent reaction. But I was obviously too curious for my own good. I had to ask somebody who would know; Valvatorez or Artina. Maybe even Desco, if the opportunity ever presented itself.

"Sorry." I muttered in response, before quickening my stride.

Fuka clearly wasn't all she was cracked up to be. She completely refused to believe that she was dead. The prospect of scrounging around someone's memories didn't sound particularly appealing. But I felt some kind of drive. Something that pushed me to make Fuka believe that everything happening around her was real.

 _"I swear, this girl's going to be the death of me."_ I thought to myself depressingly.


	4. Homestead

"You messed up big time, dude." Emizel said. "I'm surprised you're still alive."

Me and Fuka had returned from our training expedition. When we got back to the mansion, Valvatorez commended us on successfully taking down the bandit group, and suggested that I spend the rest of the day recovering from my injuries. Although slight, it was clear that I wasn't going to be doing any serious fighting for the remainder of the day. Fuka said something about going to find Desco, while I opted for returning to our room and relaxing.

Emizel was waiting in the hallway on the way to the bedroom. I ended up participating in quite a lengthy conversation with him. My thoughts eventually strayed to Fuka's odd behaviour while we were out, and I decided to see if Emizel knew anything about it. I received that rather morbid response after explaining the situation to him.

"Why's that?" I asked.

"Fuka's been like that from day one." He explained. "Believe it or not, I was the first person in the Hades party to meet her."

"How'd that work out for you?"

"Badly. She hired me as a sort of 'secret weapon'. She had an obsession with taking over Hades when she arrived." He replied. "Valvatorez and Fenrich came along. We talked a little, and then they beat me up."

"Sounds like the Hades party wasn't much of a party to begin with..."

"Apart from Fenrich, Valvatorez recruited everyone by beating the crap out of them."

"I'm glad that didn't happen to me..."

"Anyway, Fuka's been going on about that dream stuff for a while now." He explained. "Even after we went back to Earth, she still refused to believe that anything was real."

"You went to Earth?"

"Fuka's probably told you a dozen times by now, but we saved the human world from being destroyed this one time."

"To be honest, I'd be questioning reality too if I had to save the world..."

"Stuff like that gets easier to deal with the longer you spend time here." Emizel replied. "We met up with Fuka's dad while we were there."

"She still believed that it was all a dream?"

"Yeah. The guy's name was Genjuro. He was a scientist or an engineer or something. He created Desco, too."

"That explains why she calls Fuka her big sister."

"Right. But Fuka's dad created another 'little sister' creature called DES X." He continued. "She was angry about not having Genjuro all to herself, so she decided to take Fuka out of the picture."

"...T-That's a pretty horrid way to go..."

"DES X got what was coming to her, though. We destroyed her when we went to the human world."

"Why didn't Fuka just stay there after you left?"

"I guess she thought Hades was more fun than the human world. She decided to stay here until her dream was over."

"She sounds pretty stubborn about the whole 'dream' thing..."

"Yeah. I guess we should've told you about that when you got here." He replied. "Don't mention it to her again, or there won't be much of you left to bury."

"So that's it?" I asked. "You're just going to sit back and let her think whatever she wants to think?"

"We've all tried to snap her out of it, Scribe." He replied. "Even Val couldn't convince her."

"Maybe that's because you're all demons." I said. "Or machines, in Desco's case."

"Hm. Maybe." He considered. "Whatever. Do what you wanna do. I'm not the one who's gonna be responsible for you keeling over."

And with that, he walked off, leaving me alone in the hallway. I felt a little disheartened, knowing that everyone had tried to coax Fuka out of her shell at some point. If someone with as many years of experience as Val couldn't get her to talk, then what chance did I have? Maybe it was because she couldn't relate to them. I was closer than all of them to Fuka's age, and I was an Un-Prinny as well, so perhaps I had a better shot at it than most people.

My injuries from the fight with the Orcs still throbbed painfully, although I couldn't help but feel a little proud of myself for having gotten out of such an uneven fight with so little injuries. I could only hope that all fights were going to be this easy from here on out.

I didn't have much to do. My 'training', as it were, was over for the day, so I didn't have any reason to talk to Val or Fuka. I had no idea where any of the others were, so I wasn't going to be able to talk to them either. Very rarely, in the short time I'd spent here, did I ever find myself completely alone. Perhaps a trip to the town would be for the best. It would be nice to know the layout of it, in case I ever needed to purchase anything.

Deciding that I had nothing better to do, I headed to the entrance of the mansion.

* * *

The town was bustling with activity. Demons of all shapes and sizes walked, crawled and flew through the streets busily. I'd occasionally be reminded of why I was brought here in the first place, and I'd see a few Prinnies carrying heavy goods for someone who was too lazy to do it themselves, or being punted around by large and intimidating creatures because they were bored. I almost felt a little vulnerable, walking through town with clothes that showed that I was supposed to be one of them.

While looking around, I was stopped in the middle of the street by a young girl wearing what appeared to be some form of maid outfit. She stood next to a colossal pile of stacked papers, all with abhorrently large amounts of text printed onto them.

"Would you like a newspaper, sir?" She asked politely.

It seemed even Hades had to have some way of distributing the news to whoever cared about it.

"For free?" I asked.

The girl nodded.

"Alright, I'll take one."

I wondered for a second if the girl was human. She didn't have horns or wings or anything that pointed towards her being a demon. Those thoughts went out the window when the girl raised her arm towards the stack of newspapers, and the one at the top started floating towards me magically. She must have been some kind of mage. I snatched the newspaper out of the air and thanked the girl before walking away.

I wasn't expecting newspapers. If Hades had any way of distributing information, I imagined it to be on a small tattered cloth that had been scribbled on with some kind of primitive writing instrument, probably attached to the end of a weapon that was about to impale you. But no, a proper newspaper, with headlines and articles and everything, printed in what looked to be a professional manner.

I'd heard mention of other Netherworlds. Places other than Hades, that had different themes and whatnot. Maybe there was a Netherworld that was devoted specifically to making newspapers? The idea seemed absurd, but considering that they were simply handing these out for free, maybe that was the case.

My eyes fell on the main headline on the front page:

 **Overlord Baal destroys yet another Netherworld**

Seemed a little far-fetched. Overlords were the people who were in charge of Netherworlds, if I remembered correctly. Hades was pretty big. Destroying an entire Netherworld seemed like an impossible concept. Then again, newspapers did have an odd habit of blowing topics out of proportion. I continued to read the article.

Whoever he was, this 'Baal' fellow didn't seem like the nicest demon in the Netherworld multiverse. Tales of destruction and woe were scattered about the page, including a few supposed eyewitness accounts, who went on about the so-called 'destroyer of Netherworlds'. Talk of a hulking monstrosity that covered every inch of its body with armour, yet moved and swung as if it wasn't wearing anything at all.

"I don't think you'd have any eyewitness accounts if the entire Netherworld was destroyed..." I muttered to myself.

Exaggerated stories didn't sit very well with me, and I was about to crumple the newspaper up in frustration when I heard someone's voice from behind me.

"What are you doing out here by yourself?"

I swung around. My partner in crime was standing there with her arms crossed, clearly not very happy that I decided to step out by myself.

"I was bored." I replied. "Can't I get some freedom?"

"I thought you had left to do something stupid." Fuka answered. "I'm supposed to be keeping an eye on you."

"It's not like I went too far from the mansion or anything..."

"Even so, I've still got to keep an eye on you." She replied. "You... had me worried for a second."

"So you care about me now?"

"I never said I didn't." She said. "You're the only other Un-Prinny in Hades."

"Couldn't you just go back to Earth?" I asked. "Emizel told me you did that back when you saved the world."

"...He... told you about that?" She muttered. "How much did he tell you?"

"Quite a lot." I replied. "...Enough to understand, at least."

"Understand what?"

"...Stuff."

I didn't want to tell her that I knew why she thought all of this was a dream. It must come as a surprise, being killed by something that your own family created. But even after all the years she had spent here, she still refused to believe that anything happening around her was real.

"...Alright." She replied. "Where'd you get the newspaper from?"

"A girl was handing them out for free." I explained. "I might as well acquaint myself with the goings-on of Hades while I'm here."

"At least you're doing something productive with your time." She said. "What's the main headline?"

"Some drivel about a Netherworld-destroying demon." I answered. "Baal, if I remember correctly."

"More news about him, huh..." She muttered. "Attacks from Baal have been getting more frequent lately."

"Hey, now..." I cut in. "You mean to tell me that he's real?"

"Yeah. He's heralded as a kind of living legend by demons." She explained. "He attacks and destroys Netherworlds."

"Sounds like a pretty terrifying guy."

"He's way too strong for his own good." She continued. "He's practically a god at this point."

"...That definitely seems like a big issue..." I replied. "How long has he been around?"

"Longer than me." She said. "He's just something that demons have come to accept."

"That sounds ridiculous." I commented. "Why hasn't anyone tried to defeat him?"

"A lot of people have." Fuka replied. "Only a few people have ever actually seen him and lived."

"...A god who randomly attacks Netherworlds...?" I muttered. "...What would happen if he attacked Hades?"

"Hey, keep your voice down." She scolded. "You're not supposed to say that kind of stuff."

"...So he'd just destroy us, like any other Netherworld?"

"Yeah. All we can do is hope that he never appears." She replied. "There are countless Netherworlds, anyway. The chances of him attacking are pretty low."

Sounded like something from a horror novel. A godlike entity that randomly attacked those weaker than it, and all people could do was pray that he didn't arrive at their doorstep. A completely invincible creature. Just imagining him made my blood run cold. All of a sudden, that article didn't seem so far-fetched after all.

"There's a lot to worry about when you live in a Netherworld, huh?"

"I wouldn't worry about it." She said. "With someone as powerful as Valzy on our side, there's no way anything bad would ever happen to Hades."

"I hope you're right..."

Every day, Hades seemed to grow more dangerous. As I was educated about what dangers lurked between Netherworlds, it came as a surprise to me how I wasn't dead yet. I suppose this is why Val and Fuka are so insistent on making me powerful enough to defend myself.

"Come on. Let's head back to the mansion." Fuka said.

"Huh? What for? It's boring in there."

"So you'd rather get yourself killed by staying out here?"

"I doubt that'd happen. This seems like a pretty nice town."

"Whatever you say. Just remember that there's nothing stopping demons from whisking you away to be their slaves."

"I don't think making me paranoid about stepping outside is a smart thing to do."

"Wouldn't you rather be in a comfortable room in a cozy mansion than standing out here?"

"There's nothing 'cozy' about that place..."

"Hey, I pulled some serious strings to get you a room in there, you know."

"If I remember correctly, you were pretty upset about Val giving me your room."

"H-He didn't give you my room!" She said angrily. "It's still my room! I could kick you out if I wanted to!"

"...Speaking of which, why haven't you done that yet?"

"Huh?"

"Kicking me out." I elaborated. "If you don't like me staying in your room, then that's fine. There are tons of other rooms."

"Those rooms are covered in cobwebs and dust."

"And? I could clean it up. It'd give me something to do."

Waking up without Fuka doing something embarrassing would be pretty convenient.

"Y-You can't just disregard my act of goodwill like that!" She yelled. "I'm going through the trouble of tolerating you in my room, so I expect you to be thankful towards me!"

 _Can't I say anything without making this girl angry...?_

"Jeez, fine, alright. You don't have to get angry over it." I replied. "I'll keep staying in your room, then."

"I knew you'd come through." She said happily, crossing her arms. "W-Wait, don't say that in public! it sounds downright creepy!"

"There's nothing creepy about two people sharing a room. Unless you sleep in the same bed, or wear the same clothes, or cuddle the other person when they wake up..."

"Stop talking."

"I intend to. Put the bat away!"

Fuka's bat, which had appeared to forcibly end my spiel, was quickly brought back down.

"Jeez, you really are a pain sometimes..." She said heartlessly. "Why'd I have to save you from that Minotaur?"

"Reasons will be reasons." I replied. "Let's head back to the mansion."

"Is intimidation the only thing that gets through to you?"

"I tend to listen when hot-headed Prinny-girls start brandishing baseball bats at me."

"H-Hot headed..." She repeated.

Fuka followed me as I began heading back towards the mansion.

"So, has Valvatorez dredged up any more suicide missions to send us on?"

"To send you on, you mean. I'm just your supervisor." She corrected. "He'll probably have more for you to do tomorrow."

"...Why did Val induct me into the Hades Party, anyway? Seems like a burden to train me up."

"Would you rather be working for eternity as a Prinny?"

"You keep bringing that up. Almost seems like there's no easy way to live in Hades."

"Not unless you're born as a powerful demon, like Valzy was."

"Lucky him."

"But we can't always rely on him to win our battles for us." She continued. "That's why it's important for you to get stronger while you still can."

"I get it. There's no need to explain." I replied. "I never thought I'd ever get lectured by someone like you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing." I said quickly. "...What time is it?"

"Dunno. I think it's the evening."

"Great. I'm tired." I replied. "I might head to bed after we get back."

"You're a real freeloader, aren't you?"

"Forgive me for wanting to recuperate from my recent bout of Orc-slaying."

"It made me tired, too. You don't have to complain about it."

"But you didn't do anything..."

"I did plenty!" She stated stubbornly. "I provided moral support!"

"You sent me to what could have very well been my imminent death..."

"Guh! You're so hard to talk to! You're supposed to feel grateful when a cute girl is egging you on."

"You didn't seem very happy when I called you cute last time."

"T-That's because you said it out of nowhere, idiot!" She replied angrily. "It's not flattering if you sound like a pervert!"

We continued bickering on our way back to the mansion. When we eventually arrived, Artina was waiting for us at the entrance. She looked like she had something important to say.

"Ah, Scribe! Fuka! How are you two doing?" She greeted pleasantly.

"Not bad." I replied. "Me and Fuka were having a stroll through town together."

"Don't say it like you weren't completely lost..." Fuka muttered quietly.

Artina placed a finger to her lower lip.

"Is that so...?" She muttered. "Fuka? Would you mind if I had a quick conversation with you?"

"Sure." She replied.

Fuka walked over to Artina. It didn't seem like she wanted to talk to me, so I decided that it would be better if I was on my way.

"I'll see you two later, I guess." I said, before departing in the direction of my room.

I was out of sight a few seconds later, turning a corner in the maze-like outlay of the mansion.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Something very important." Artina replied, a hint of excitement lacing her words. "Come with me."

She reached forward and grabbed onto Fuka's arm.

"Hey, what's going on? D-Don't pull me, Artina!"

Too late. Fuka was being paraded by her arm around the mansion ten seconds later. Artina led her to a hallway that wasn't normally visited, and was in noticeably worse shape than the others. Artina approached a door and knocked on it three times. The sounds of locks being undone could be heard before the door finally opened.

Desco peered out of the door before opening it fully.

"Did you bring Big Sis?" She asked excitedly.

"Yes, yes." Artina replied, motioning to the person she was holding by the wrist.

"What's this about? It better not be something stupid." Fuka protested.

Without warning, she was hauled into the room. The door slammed shut almost instantly.

Fuka was piled onto the bed in the room, which was surprisingly clean, considering the state of the rest of the room.

Artina and Desco sat themselves next to her, both with eager expressions on their faces.

"W-What's up with you two?" She asked nervously.

"Don't worry, Fuka. It's nothing serious." Artina reassured. "We just wanted to ask you a few questions, is all."

"Huh? About what?"

"Well, uh..." She hesitated. "Regarding Scribe."

"...What's the point in talking about that idiot?"

"Me and Desco merely wish to validate the relationship between you and Scribe."

"I... I don't follow you."

"Well, it's just that ever since he arrived in Hades, you and him have spent an incredibly large amount of time together."

"Yeah. So what?"

"Well, you sleep in the same bed and eat together. You're both humans." She listed. "Not to mention that I stumbled upon both of you in a rather... compromising position yesterday."

"T-That was a mistake!" Fuka yelled. "I-I just move around in my sleep a lot!"

"Scribe was wide-awake. He didn't seem particularly bothered by the situation, either."

"S-Stop making it sound worse than it really is!" She replied. "What are you trying to get at, Artina!?"

"Well, considering your reaction, I doubt any of it is true..." Artina muttered. "...But I suppose I had you pegged for a couple, if only for a short while."

"W-What makes you think I'd-"

"I'm not saying you are, of course. I just thought it was a given, considering your circumstances."

"I would never date someone like him!"

"Surely it couldn't hurt to try...?"

"S-Stop trying to convince me!"

"He's quite good-looking, for his age."

"Argh! Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Fuka yelled, covering her ears.

"Oh well, it's not like it matters now." Artina concluded. "I had a plethora of questions about him that I would've liked to ask."

"Aw... why'd you have to be a spoil-sport, Big Sis?" Desco moaned. "Desco wants a big brother, too..."

"D-Don't side with Artina, Desco!"

The rest of the conversation devolved into a heavily strewn-out and sordid affair of name-calling and embarrassment. The door, despite its many locks, didn't do much to stop Fuka's raging voice echoing through the empty part of the mansion.

* * *

"Could've sworn I heard somebody shouting..." I muttered to myself.

I was in my room, laying on the bed. I was about to fall asleep, but the indescribable sound of somebody shouting roused me from my impending slumber. It sounded like it came from inside the mansion.

"Ah, it's probably nothing..." I reassured.

Just as I thought that, the door practically burst off its hinges as someone violently made their way into the room. The sound was loud enough to elicit a shriek from myself, which I was none too happy about. Looking towards the door, I could see that Fuka had returned from her conversation with Artina. She didn't look happy.

"Evening." I greeted.

She seemed to jump slightly at my voice. She made a pitiful attempt at eye-contact before stammering out a response.

"M-Move over." She demanded.

I was taking up the middle portion of the bed, seeing as Fuka wasn't here. Now that she was, and I had drawn attention to the fact that she seemed angrier than usual, I quickly made space on the bed and moved over to my own side. Fuka hastily made her way underneath the covers, seemingly refusing to bring her head out.

"...You sound angry." I pointed out.

"I'm not. Stop talking to me." She said, her voice muffled by the covers.

"...I'm guessing your conversation with Artina wasn't about anything good."

"T-That's none of your business." She replied.

"And here I was, thinking you were going to fill me in on what you were talking about."

"Girl stuff." She said.

"Huh?"

"We were talking about girl stuff."

My brain took a step back.

"Okay, maybe I don't want to know." I said, changing my mind.

"Good. Now go to sleep."

"I don't think that's something that you can just demand from someone."

...

She didn't respond.

I wasn't going to pry, but it was clear that she was pretty angry about something. Maybe she fell out with Artina? I decided to adhere to her commands for once, and went back to trying to get some shut-eye.

* * *

My eyes opened again. I felt groggy. Must've fallen asleep for a little while.

I spotted the clock out of the corner of my eye:

3:04am.

It was early. I had slept for a while.

I moved a hand to my back, making sure that there was no Un-Prinny sticking to me.

"Scribe? Is that you?" I heard Fuka's voice say. She must have heard me moving around.

"Yeah." I replied. "You're still awake? You know how early it is?"

"I couldn't get to sleep." She said.

"...Does it have something to do with what you and Artina were talking about?"

"...Maybe."

"Ah." I muttered. "Nothing bad happened, right?"

"No."

"Then why are you still awake?"

"Because it gave me something to think about."

"Gonna tell me about it?"

"No."

"...How boring."

I wasn't sure if she'd fallen back asleep. We stayed in silence for a few minutes.

"...Hey, Scribe?"

"Yeah?"

"Sorry for being mad earlier."

"Isn't that how you normally act?"

"Yeah. But I didn't have a reason for being mad at you."

"Isn't that usually the case, anyway?"

"Can't I be nice to you for once second?"

"Hm..." I mulled. "I think I prefer you when you're angry."

"U-Ulp..." She muttered. "Jeez... are you a masochist or something?"

"No... I guess being angry is just something you're good at."

"Thanks." She replied sarcastically.

Another minute of silence.

"...I-It's nice having you here, Scribe..."

"Pardon?"

"In Hades." She elaborated. "I was starting to miss seeing other humans."

"You're actually being grateful for something?"

"S-Shut up."

"I think it's the sleep deprivation setting in. You're going to regret saying that when you wake up again."

"I'm already starting to regret it..."

"...But I guess I'm pretty happy to be here as well." I said. "I'm sure it's a lot more interesting than my old life was."

"Yeah..."

"...Anyway, let's try and keep the sentimental stuff to a minimum, alright?" I said. "Val's probably got more stuff for us to do tomorrow."

"Uh-huh."

"So try and get some sleep, alright?"

"...S-Sure..."

I smiled to myself. Maybe it was just the sleep talking, but what Fuka said made me a little happier to be in Hades. Maybe there was something for me here, after all.

I closed my eyes.

* * *

"Excuse me, my lord." Fenrich said politely. "Might I ask you a question?"

"What's on your mind, Fenrich?" Val replied.

"Regarding the Treant hunt a few days ago..." He began. "...Where did the payment from that job go, exactly?"

"Why, towards the Prinny training program, of course."

"...What exactly did you invest in, to have spent that much money?"

"It's brilliant, Fenrich!" Val said happily. "With the money that we received, I was able to assure that every Prinny receives a free tin of sardines every day for the next three years, completely free!"

"...And what brought upon that decision, my lord?"

"Surely you understand the importance of sardines, Fenrich."

"T-There's no need to recap, my lord..."

"Sardines promote a healthy lifestyle, and are scientifically proven to prevent some very serious health problems. They're rich in protein, providing our bodies with ever-important amino acids, and are a readily-available source of vitamin D..."

And so, Valvatorez's veritable thesis on the importance of sardines continues into the night for another hour...


	5. Breakfast

I had a dream that night.

I was sitting in a room; doused in white, on a petite chair clearly not meant for someone my age. If there were any doors, I couldn't see them. I sat quietly, entranced by the odd obliviousness that stems from having a dream, not considering if anything around you is actually real, and simply accepting it as reality.

A voice rang out from somewhere; deep and imposing, as if to intimidate me. It echoed around me, making it feel like more of a thought than a voice.

"...Scribe." It said slowly.

"Hm?" I acknowledged lazily.

"Have you enjoyed your time in Hades?"

Hades.

The dream was broken. I remembered going to sleep last night, and why I wasn't still in the bed. I started to question where I was, and who the voice was.

"...What's going on?" I asked.

"Have you enjoyed your time in Hades?" The voice repeated.

Lucid dreaming was something that everyone enjoyed. All of a sudden, you're given more power than you know what to do with. Power that even the strongest people in the world couldn't possibly hope to attain. Suddenly, every thought becomes reality, and for the first time, you have to consider what you're thinking about. Of course, that didn't mean everyone had a good time with it.

Your wildest dreams and imaginations would come true in the blink of an eye, but that was offset by your fears. Every nightmare you've experienced suddenly becomes reality. Every monster you've ever thought of could personify with little more than a thought. Lucid dreaming does a fantastic job of illustrating how dangerous being a god can be.

Though I didn't feel like a god right now. I felt like my ordinary self.

"...Yeah." I replied softly. "I guess I have."

'Enjoyed' wasn't the term I would use to describe my experiences in Hades. Although I couldn't deny that a certain excitement had taken hold of me from my first encounter with the Minotaur. Maybe it was a potent sense of admiration that stemmed from seeing Fuka bat off the monster with a single strike. Perhaps I couldn't help but want to wield that kind of power myself.

"Would you protect it?" The voice asked.

"Protect? What, as in fight for it?" I replied.

"Would you protect it?" The voice repeated again.

"...I suppose. It's my home, right?"

It wasn't as if I had much of a life to return to. Not even the slightest shadow of a memory came to me when I thought about my previous life. Perhaps that was for the better, not knowing what kind of people I had abandoned.

I felt something tugging at my chest. Not in an emotional sense, but in an actual, physical way.

"We are being interrupted..." The voice said. "We will continue this at a later date."

"How about telling me who you are, first?"

"...Unimportant." It replied calmly.

* * *

My eyes opened.

They met with Fuka's.

She was positioned atop me, her hands wrapped tightly around my collar. From the looks of it, she had been trying to wake me up for some time. She seemed almost happy when I finally opened my eyes, although she wasn't very intent on showing it. Despite the fact that I was very clearly awake, her hands remained on my clothing.

"...I-I'm not into that kind of stuff, Fuka..."

She let go.

"I-It's not like that, you idiot!" She yelled angrily. "I've been trying to wake you up for nearly an hour now!"

I turned my head to the clock.

08:32

"It's pretty early." I remarked.

"That's not the point! What took you so long to wake up?"

Did that dream really go on for that long?

"Nothing important." I brushed off.

"That's not an excuse at all!" She yelled. "You were scaring me for a while!"

"You were scared?"

"E-Erm..." She faltered. "I-I got a little worried, is all."

"Right." I replied. "So what's gripped you, to wake me up at such an absurd hour?"

She clamped up, like she didn't want to answer. She stared at me for a few seconds before shaking her head.

"...I-I bought you a present!" She exclaimed loudly.

The room went silent.

"You did what?" I asked, befuddled.

"A present..." She repeated quietly. "I-I bought you something."

More silence.

"Oh..." I muttered, clarity hitting me like a train. "I get it..."

"You get what?"

"I'm still dreaming, right?"

Fuka shot her arms forward and grasped onto my collar once more. She pulled my upper body up from the bed before slamming it back down, repeating the motion while shouting some less-than-desirable terminology at me.

"What do you mean, 'you're still dreaming'!?" She yelled. "Is it that hard to appreciate a gift that someone bought for you!?"

"Throw as much violence as you want..." I replied. "The real Fuka would never do something like that..."

"Don't make assumptions after only knowing me for a few days!"

The pain was becoming quite apparent. I considered the prospect that perhaps this horrific rendition of Fuka might actually be the real deal.

"Sorry, Fuka." I apologised. "You might be the real thing after all."

"What do you mean 'might'!?"

"Ah, please keep the beatings to a minimum!" I yelled, barely avoiding another blow. "I get it. Just show me the present."

"I-It's right here..." She replied.

She removed herself from me and hopped off the bed. I saw her fiddling with something out of the corner of my eye. Eventually, she rose back up, holding a rather peculiar object in her hands.

It was a staff. One with a prominent rounded top that made it seem a little impractical to hold. Twelve identical rings jingled around uselessly inside the circle. On it where several pointed spikes; like what you'd expect to see on the gates surrounding a church. The twelve rings were separated into two groups of six by a large spire that ran through the circle, eventually coming to an end at a short monument on the end of the staff.

"What an odd object." I remarked. "This is your gift?"

"Hey, at least try to sound a little grateful. I had to go through a lot of trouble to get this, you know."

"I'd probably be a little happier if I knew what it was."

"It's a weapon!" She proclaimed loudly.

"It doesn't look like a weapon. More like an antique, or something along those lines."

"It's a Khakkhara."

"That doesn't add to its merit as a weapon."

"It's lightweight and sturdy. You're more into polearms and stuff, right?

"What are the rings for?"

"They're symbolic. They represent power."

"...If you say so." I replied. "Give it here. I'll use it when I next have the chance."

"W-What? Just like that?"

"Well, you went through a lot of trouble to get it, right?" I asked. "It'd be a shame if your efforts went to waste."

"...You don't have to use it if you don't want to."

"And where's the fun in that? I might end up liking it."

I reached forward and retrieved the weapon from Fuka's hands. Like she said, it was remarkably lightweight, considering all the metallic rings that you'd think would add considerable weight to it. The top of it was made out of hard brass, and the rings decorating the staff seemed to be gold. It felt a little regal for my tastes. Still, the pointy bit at the end was enough to cause some damage, and I couldn't think of anyone who could take a brass staff to the face very well.

"Thanks for the present, Fuka." I said.

"I-I'm only doing this so you'll stop looking like such an idiot when you're fighting."

"...Well, I appreciate the gesture."

So much for my old spear.

"So, has Valvatorez planned any gut-ridden contracts for us today?" I asked.

"No. He's given us the day off."

"Huh? Doesn't sound like him at all."

"Valzy isn't some tyrant that works us to the bone, you know." She replied. "He's a nice guy."

"I don't think a vampire is supposed to have that kind of reputation..."

"You're acting like you don't want a day off."

"I'll shut up now." I said. "...Up for some breakfast?"

"It's a little early for that."

"Surely you wouldn't turn your nose up at the chance to partake of the most nutritious meal of the day?"

"You're really passionate about breakfast, huh?"

"I'm passionate and hungry. That's a dangerous combination, Fuka."

"I'm not-"

"I saw a quaint little cafe the other day. Perhaps we should head there."

"Scribe-"

"Onwards."

I bundled out of the bed and headed towards the door.

"Since when did you get so assertive?" Fuka asked.

"Since about twenty seconds ago. Aren't you coming?"

"I-Is it really necessary for us to go together?"

"My funds are running a little low. I was hoping you'd buy for both of us."

"T-That's the only reason you're bringing me along!?"

"Of course not. You'd get to spend your time around me. Isn't that a reward in and of itself?"

I turned my attention back to the door. I nearly walked straight into someone who had made a point of standing directly in my way. The stark contrast of the odd pink clothing against the gothic walls of the mansion didn't make it hard to discern who it was.

"Oh. You two are already up." Artina said.

"Fuka has agreed to accompany me to the local cafe in order to acquire the energy needed to sustain ourselves throughout this beautiful day in Hades."

'Beautiful day' holding little merit, considering it was the same weather, temperature and brightness no matter what time it happened to be.

"I-I see." She replied. "Isn't it a little early for breakfast? And what's that you're carrying?"

Too late. I had already nudged my way past Artina and into the hallway.

"...He seems enthusiastic." She remarked.

"I'm not sure what's wrong with him either." Fuka replied.

"Maybe he's happy because he'll be able to spend the day with you."

"D-Don't say creepy stuff like that."

"Hm? You don't seem particularly bothered that he's so intent on you coming along."

"Stop trying to make it seem like something it isn't."

"Whatever you say, Fuka." Artina brushed off. "Have fun on your date."

Fuka didn't respond, and instead settled for grumpily sauntering past Artina and into the hallway.

* * *

"There aren't many demons around today." I remarked.

"That's because nobody wakes up this early."

"You didn't have to come along, you know. I thought you said you weren't hungry?"

"You'll probably get yourself killed without me."

"On my way to get breakfast?"

"Yup."

"...You're, uh, not just making that up, right?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"...It's okay to say that you just didn't want to come along."

"I-Idiot. I have my reasons."

"Right. Sorry." I apologised. "Still, it's quite nice getting breakfast together, isn't it?"

"I guess." Fuka replied. "You're annoyingly happy today. What's up?"

"I'm not sure, honestly. I suppose it feels nice to finally have a break from all the stuff Val puts us through."

"It gets worse from here on out."

"Is that so?" I replied. "...We'd better enjoy ourselves while we still have the chance."

My suspicions about the cafe were correct. It was located close to the place where I had been handed the newspaper yesterday. Most of the nearby shops were closed, although the cafe seemed to be open. Probably to accommodate odd people like myself who insisted on having breakfast at an absurd hour.

"You're paying, aren't you?" Fuka asked.

"I've yet to accustom myself to the economical state of Hades."

"You're a deadbeat."

"...You didn't have to say it like that..."

"Geez. You're really worthless sometimes." She insulted. "Fine. I'll pay for it this time."

"Ah, I can always rely on you in my time of need, Fuka."

"Whatever. Are we going in or not?"

Not wanting to annoy Fuka any further, lest she revoke her rather generous offer to pay for my breakfast, we quickly make our way to the door of the cafe. The door, as is required for quaint eateries, made a little jingle as I opened it. It didn't look any different from what you'd expect a cafe to look like on Earth, bar the creature minding the counter, of course.

"It's nice to see that Hades is capable of replicating the human world."

"What were you expecting?" Fuka asked.

"Skulls on the walls and lit torches everywhere." I replied. "Maybe there'd be a ballista that we had to dodge or something."

We took a seat at a small table in the middle of the establishment. The demon at the counter quickly scurried over to us and asked us what we wanted. I was almost expecting him to throw an axe down on the table before he spoke, but I suppose even Hades has to exercise restraint sometimes. I was honestly a little surprised when there wasn't any declination to me having fried eggs and bacon. Fuka, obviously not too fussy about her breakfast, ordered the same. The demon went off afterwards.

"You've got that stupid smile on your face again." Fuka observed. "What's gotten you so happy?"

"...It, uh... just feels nice, I guess." I replied. "It almost feels like I'm back on Earth."

"You're really nostalgic for that place, huh?"

"Well, it was my home up until a week ago. It's nice being reminded of it."

Maybe it would have been for the best if I hadn't said that. Fuka looked a little solemn for a few seconds. Considering what happened last time I tried to bring up Earth, I should probably learn to keep my mouth shut about it.

"It's not hard getting there, you know." She said. "Valzy could probably take you to the human world whenever you wanted."

"I don't think that would do much, honestly." I replied. "After all, it's not like I can remember my family."

"Jeez, you can be a real downer sometimes..."

"I mean, I'll probably remember them at some point." I said. "I hope so, anyway..."

"Yup." She replied. "But until then, you're still working for me."

I hadn't forgotten my debt to Fuka. If it weren't for her, I'd be a spattered stain of blood on the ground right now. I thought of thanking her again, but it only seemed to annoy her, so I refrained from doing so. Yet, I could only wonder of her motive. After all, I'm not exactly a high-value target. Hades wouldn't have lost anyone important that day if Fuka had just left me to die with the Minotaur.

"Why'd you help me? From the Minotaur, I mean."

So I asked that to her. She stared at me like I was some kind of beast with three heads, before sighing as if I'd done something wrong.

"'Cause you would've died, otherwise." She answered. "I'm not a monster, you know. I'll help people who need it."

"Then why'd you drag me all the way to Val afterwards?" I pressed.

"Because you're an Un-Prinny."

I often forgot that my rightful place was inside a penguin's body. What were the chances of me ending up like this, when every other soul had turned into a Prinny? Perhaps I should be taking my second chance a little more seriously, seeing as I'll probably never get this lucky again. Cleanup detail under the orders of an angry demon wasn't a particularly nice thought. Tending to the whims of a psychotic girl armed dangerously with a baseball bat seemed like a much more preferable scenario.

The food was good, when it finally arrived. It was nice to see that there was at least some semblance of humanity in this mad world. It wasn't long before we'd finished and were ready to get on our way. It wasn't until we made our way through the door that I was greeted with a rather familiar sensation. With such a common occurrence, the phenomenon almost passed by me, although it didn't take long for me to connect the dots.

Simply put; it was raining. A light shedding of the clouds poured down steadily over the charred and crimson-encrusted landscape, and the droplets tapped and jumped gracefully along the ground by my feet. It did not turn to steam or disappear, but instead settled mildly on the ground, as if it were nothing short of the genuine article. I raised a hand up, just to prove that this wasn't some unearthly hallucination that I was suffering from. It was light, for sure, but there was no denying the patches of coldness that built up in my hand.

"Rain?" I inquired confusingly.

Hades. That was what they called it. A place of fire and brimstone and demons and God knows what else. A place where lava blackened the landscape and brimstone reigned supreme. And, perhaps the most perplexing matter of all, was that we were quite clearly encased in some form of gargantuan cave underground. There was a roof, and no amount of clouds clumped together at the ceiling, either. The moisture simply fell from nowhere, as if by some foul trick of the mind.

"Water seeps through the ground above us when it rains." Fuka explained. "It isn't rain. Think of it like water dripping off stalagmites in ice caves."

Even so, the mere presence of water perplexed me. I assumed Hades was some monstrous asteroid with demons dwelling within the hollowed interior. But by Fuka's words, there appeared to be some form of surface. Val mentioned that Netherworlds often encompassed entire planets. Was Hades also one of those planets? Had I simply stumbled upon some cave-dwelling demons who relied on intricate cracks within the cobbled canopy of the cave systems?

"Netherworlds are weird like this." Fuka said. "It's just something you get used to after a while."

The darkness and redness that I had so readily associated with Hades reflecting themselves in the raindrops. They had lost their blue sheen that water was well-known for, and the surroundings had changed it to a gleaming shade of red that more resembled droplets of blood falling from the cave's roof.

"Are we heading back yet?" I heard Fuka complain. "We're getting soaked."

I came back to my senses. Rain was rain, after all. No matter the circumstances, it was still going to ruin my clothes at the end of the day. I muttered some words of acknowledgement before striding off in the direction of Val's mansion, with Fuka trailing slowly behind.

"Breakfast was rather nice, wasn't it?" I asked, attempting to make small talk.

"You got us caught in the rain."

"Wasn't aware it _could_ rain down here." I replied. "What're we going to do for the rest of the day?"

"Relax in the mansion."

"...'Relaxing' doesn't sound like something you'd do an awful lot of in Hades."

"So you're saying that you want to stay outside?"

"I think you might have misunderstood that statement..."

We arrived back at the mansion with our clothes dripping cave water onto the carpet. Apparently having anticipated our arrival, Fenrich met us at the doorway and presented an assortment of cloths and towels to clean ourselves off with. It didn't do much for our clothes, but at least our hand and faces weren't soaked anymore. He went on to suggest a hot shower in order to avoid a cold, leading to my bewilderment at the mansion even having one in the first place. I passed on the offer, although Fuka seemed to grasp the opportunity and quickly set about walking to the bathroom.

"You must be rather surprised about the rain." Fenrich said.

"Ah, yeah ... it's really similar to Earth." I replied. "It's nice to see that some things are still the same, though."

"It's good to see that you haven't been detached from your previous life."

Having it worded like that was oddly depressing. Life is always meant to be this sacred thing that you're supposed to protect. A lot of people believe that when you die, that's it; game over, but in reality, you get sent to one of these places. I thought I had been sent to hell, but in reality, I'd just ended up somewhere that looked fairly similar to hell.

"Hey, Fenrich..." I addressed. "What happens when demons die?"

"It depends on the demon." He responded. "Prinnies, for example, will just be brought back to life as more Prinnies."

"Why's that?"

"Prinnies are criminals; sentenced to an eternity of manual labour in order to repent for their sins." He explained. "On the night of the red moon, Prinnies have a chance to redeem themselves, and be reincarnated as humans once more, so that they might me given another chance in the human world. Simply allowing them to die would give them an easy way out."

"An eternity?" I questioned. "...Does that apply to me, too?"

"I believe circumstances are different for you." He replied. "Like Miss Fuka, your human body has been preserved, no doubt through some error during judgement. The resurrection process for Prinnies has trouble identifying human bodies, so I'm afraid you're limited simply to medicine and sheer willpower to keep yourself alive."

"So what happens if I die here?"

"Religion is still very much active in the Netherworlds. The general consensus is that something terrible happens to your soul, although any notion of a peaceful afterlife can already be found in Celestia, so many speculate about what could possibly happen after you are removed from the equation of the afterlife."

"Celestia?"

"Erm... 'Heaven', I believe you humans refer to it as." He answered. "Or, at least, the closest thing to Heaven that exists. It's where humans who committed good deeds go to after they die. As opposed to a Netherworld, there is only one Celestia, and every Netherworld has a gateway that leads to it."

There was a tremendous amount that I'd yet to learn about the afterlife. I decided to leave the question as to why I was sent to a Netherworld and not Celestia to myself. I had no knowledge of my previous life, so there wasn't any evidence suggesting I was anything but a spoiled, abrasive individual who detested other people.

"Is there a way to travel through Netherworlds?"

"Looking for a change of scenery, Master Scribe?" He asked. "You can leave the cave, you know."

"Huh? I thought this was the entire Netherworld?"

"It's large, but there exists several parts to our Netherworld." He explained. "Most of them are very different from here."

"Interesting..." I muttered. "Thank you, Fenrich."

"No problem." He replied. "I would recommend getting some rest. Master Valvatorez is most likely going to be sending you on more errands starting tomorrow."

I nodded and said goodbye before heading off. The rain outside persisted while I wandered in the direction of Fuka's room. I wasn't expecting anyone to be in the room when I arrived, but I spotted the tiny figure of someone sitting patiently on the bed as I opened the door. I spotted some vague hint of excitement on their face until they spotted me, where it promptly became rather annoyed.

"You aren't Fuka." A childish voice rung out.

"Good morning, Desco." I greeted. "I think Fuka went to have a shower."

"What were you two doing?"

"We went out for breakfast."

"Why didn't you bring Desco along?"

"...S-Sorry, Desco..." I muttered, scratching the back of my head. "I never considered it."

She crossed her arms and pouted. It was rather unbecoming behaviour of a scientific death weapon.

"...You're like big sis, aren't you?" She asked.

"Pardon me?"

She uncrossed her arms and pointed to my placeholder Prinny hat.

"Same clothes." She observed.

"We're both Un-Prinnies, yeah."

"Does that mean both of you are in love?"

...

"N-No, it's not like that, Desco..."

I'm glad that I cleared that misconception up. It'd be rather awkward to see Desco thinking that two people were in love just from wearing the same clothes. She tilted her head in a way that connoted confusion. She placed a finger on her chin and set about asking more questions.

"But you spend so much time together."

"She saved my life." I replied. "I owe a debt to her."

"It looked like love to me."

"It wasn't..." I said. "It really wasn't..."

"Aw..." She muttered. "Desco's always wanted a big brother..."

I felt terrible. I was crushing this poor girl's hopes and dreams; no two ways about it. Would it be okay to lie to her? Perhaps I could come up with some ludicrous jape about how me and Fuka are secretly budding some kind of secret relationship that no-one knew about. I had the distinct feeling in my gut that such a white lie would only end up causing more problems in the future.

I strolled up to the petite monstrosity and placed a gentle hand on her head.

"Don't sweat it, kid." I said confidently. "Fuka's got it for me. I'll be your big bro in no time."

My heart warmed up when a bright smile replaced Desco's miserable visage. I would almost certainly regret this later, but I'd say that it was worth it. Although I must admit, I certainly wasn't expecting karma to make its rounds within the next few seconds. From behind me, I heard a hinged cacophony that signalled the door being opened. I barely had to think to know who it was.

"Fuka-"

I was foolish for believing that the situation could be resolved with words alone. Barely a second had passed before the most god-awful punch made hard contact with my face. I had hoped that, albeit slowly, I'd gradually get used to the acts of violence that were so prominent in Hades, but Fuka's fists stung like angry wasps, and with such ferocity that I don't think I'd ever forget.

Things went black after that. I couldn't tell how many hours had passed, although I could say with quite a bit of certainty that I awoke slightly more comfortable that I felt when I was knocked out. I felt something plastered onto my nose, and if I smacked my lips, I could discern the coppery flavour of blood rising in my mouth. I had some covers thrown over me, meaning that I had probably been moved into the bed.

"You idiot..."

The unmistakable voice of Fuka rang out from the silence. She was next to me, although it hurt far too much to crane my neck and check.

"S-Sorry, Fuka..." I apologised.

"Don't go around making rumours like that up."

She spoke with a condescending tone, as if she was scolding me.

"Desco made me do it." I excused.

"Desco says a lot of stupid stuff. Don't say things like that just to make her happy."

"Sorry, sorry." I apologised again. "I guess I deserved that, huh?"

"I didn't mean to hit you that hard." She replied.

"Don't worry about it. I'll be fine come tomorrow."

"Yeah..." She muttered. "'Night, Scribe."

Getting some rest was paramount for me right now. Not just to un-bloody my nose, but to prepare for whatever Val had planned for us tomorrow.

"It's hardly a 'goodnight', honestly..." I joked. "But I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

She may have attacked me for the umpteenth time, but her apology sounded genuine, so I couldn't hold a grudge against her. Fuka fell asleep long before I did, but it didn't take too long for me to get tired as well. I fell asleep with the vague hope that tomorrow's 'errands' wouldn't be too difficult.


End file.
